Chinese Idiom: 机关算尽 (Ji Guan Suan Jin)
English Translation: All schemes calculated.
pīn yīn: jī guān suàn jìn
Idiom Meaning: This idiom is used to mock or criticize individuals who are cunning and two-faced, employing every possible scheme and trickery to achieve their goals.
Historical Source: “红楼梦” (Dream of the Red Chamber), specifically from the fifth chapter
Idiom Story:
In “Dream of the Red Chamber,” the character Wang Xifeng embodies greed, ruthlessness, and a penchant for duplicity. Despite her lack of formal education, her selfish pursuit of wealth and power drives her actions. She disregards traditional morals and is solely focused on financial gain, viewing the acquisition of power and money as the ultimate purpose in life.
Wang Xifeng’s character is depicted as someone who would go to great lengths for wealth, even resorting to murder to secure financial benefits. For instance, she is involved in the deaths of individuals like Zhang Jinge for the sake of 3,000 taels of silver. Additionally, she exploits her position to extort money from her family and servants, employing tactics such as usury and manipulation to achieve her desires.
Despite being seen as the “pillar” of the Jia family, Wang Xifeng ultimately faces a tragic downfall. Her clever schemes and cunning calculations fail to prevent the decline of the Jia family, and she ends up in a dire situation herself. The phrase “机关算尽” serves as a warning that excessive cleverness and cunning can lead to one’s own demise.
The excerpt from the poem “聪明累” encapsulates this theme:
机关算尽太聪明，反算了卿卿性命!
生前心已碎，死后性空灵。
家富人宁，终有个，家亡人散各奔腾。
枉费了意悬悬半世心，好一似，荡悠悠三更梦。
忽喇喇似大厦倾，昏惨惨似灯将尽。
呀!一场欢喜忽悲辛。
叹人世，终难定!
In this poem, the clever schemes ultimately lead to the loss of one’s life. The irony of Wang Xifeng’s fate serves as a powerful reminder that no amount of cunning can alter the unpredictable nature of life and death.
As a result, the phrase “机关算尽太聪明” has been condensed into the idiom “机关算尽,” symbolizing the futility of excessive scheming.
