📖 Meaning
A metaphor for harboring a secret, ulterior motive or guilty conscience. It describes someone who conceals something they dare not reveal to others, often because of wrongdoing or improper intentions.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Ming Dynasty collection 'Er Ke Pai An Jing Qi' (二刻拍案惊奇) by Ling Mengchu (凌濛初). In one story, the character Su Mei harbored a guilty secret she could not share with anyone, and could only sigh and look distressed before quietly retiring to her room. The phrase vividly compares a hidden guilty conscience to carrying a ghost fetus inside—one's heart.
💡 Example Usage
他心怀鬼胎，不敢直视我的眼睛。
Harboring a guilty conscience, he didn't dare to look me in the eye.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 心怀鬼胎
- Pinyin: xīn huái guǐ tāi
- Literal Translation: heart, harbor, ghost, fetus
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4