醉翁之意不在酒

zuìwēngzhīyìbùzàijiǔ

醉翁之意不在酒 — zuìwēngzhīyìbùzàijiǔ

1. literally 'the wine-lover's heart is not in the cup' — the apparent purpose is not the real one; to have an ulterior motive; to be pursuing something else under the guise of another aim

   他说这话是醉翁之意不在酒，真正想要的是升职。 tā shuō zhèhuà shì zuìwēngzhīyìbùzàijiǔ zhēnzhèng xiǎngyào de shì shēngzhí — When he said that, his heart wasn't really in the wine — he actually wanted a promotion.