醉翁之意不在酒
Meanings
- wine-lover's heart is not in the cup (idiom); a drinker not really interested in alcohol
- having an ulterior motive
- to have other things in mind
- with an ax to grind
- accomplishing something besides what one set out to do
Characters in this entry
- 醉
- zuì · intoxicated, drunk; addicted to
- 翁
- wēng · old man; father, father-in-law
- 之
- zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
- 意
- yì · thought, idea, opinion; think
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 在
- zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
- 酒
- jiǔ · wine, spirits, liquor, alcoholic beverage
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4–1–1–4–4–4–3 · zui4 weng1 zhi1 yi4 bu4 zai4 jiu3
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.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
zeoi3 jung1 zi1 ji3 bat1 zoi6 zau2
Cantonese word readings for 醉翁之意不在酒. 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
- (figuratively) to have other intentions
- (figuratively) to have an ulterior motive
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack