📖 Meaning
A variant of 处心积虑, meaning to deliberately scheme and rack one's brains with sustained effort over a long period. It describes someone who exhausts their mental energy planning toward a goal, usually with negative connotations of premeditated plotting.
📜 Origin Story
No distinct classical origin is recorded for this specific variant; it is a close synonym of the more standard 处心积虑, which traces back to the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋谷梁传). The phrase conveys the idea of long-premeditated, intentional calculation rather than spontaneous action. Over time it has been used in literary Chinese to describe villains or schemers who plan their moves with painstaking care.
💡 Example Usage
他设心积虑多年，终于篡夺了王位。
Having schemed and plotted for years, he finally usurped the throne.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 设心积虑
- Pinyin: shè xīn jī lǜ
- Literal Translation: set, mind, accumulate, thought
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4