都是个机关算尽
“conniving”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
从头到尾
“is”
都是个 机关算尽
“conniving”
唯利是图的小人
“and self-serving.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
Deriving from classic literature such as Dream of the Red Chamber, plotting excessively is traditionally seen as self-defeating and ethically repugnant.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to exhaust all schemes; excessively calculating
A classic four-character idiom (chengyu) denoting someone who plots meticulously, often with a negative moral implication.