身在曹營心在漢
简 身在曹营心在汉 · 繁 身在曹營心在漢Meanings
- live in Cao camp but have the heart in Han camp (idiom)
- to be somewhere while longing to be somewhere else
Characters in this entry
- 身
- shēn · body; trunk, hull; Kangxi radical 158
- 在
- zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
- 曹
- cáo · ministry officials; surname
- 營
- Look up this written character
- 心
- xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
- 漢
- Look up this written character
- 营
- yíng · encampment, barracks; manage
- 汉
- hàn · Chinese people; Chinese language
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1–4–2–2–1–4–4 · shen1 zai4 Cao2 ying2 xin1 zai4 Han4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
身在曹營心在漢 · find source passages ↗ · 身在曹营心在汉 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
san1 zoi6 cou4 jing4 sam1 zoi6 hon3
Cantonese word readings for 身在曹營心在漢. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to be subjugated by one authority, while still remaining loyal by another; to be not loyal; to be half-hearted; to be somewhere while longing to be somewhere else
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack