📖 Meaning
Describes a restless and uncontrolled mind, likened to a galloping horse and a leaping monkey. It refers to someone whose thoughts are scattered and cannot concentrate. The phrase emphasizes the difficulty of taming one's wandering attention.
📜 Origin Story
The metaphor originates from Han-dynasty alchemist Wei Boyang's commentary on the Cantong Qi, where he wrote that the 'mind-ape' is restless and the 'will-horse' gallops in all directions. Tang poet Xu Hun later used the imagery in his poem 'For Layman Du,' writing that when the mind is exhausted the heart-ape is subdued, and when the spirit is at ease the will-horse roams. Over time the phrase became a stock Buddhist and literary metaphor for mental restlessness.
💡 Example Usage
打坐修行须先降伏意马心猿，方能入定。
To enter deep meditation through seated practice, one must first tame the restless mind.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 意马心猿
- Pinyin: yì mǎ xīn yuán
- Literal Translation: mind, horse, heart, ape
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4