a means to an end

基本解释

It feels like a way of life, not a means to an end.
它更像是一种生活态度，而不仅仅是达到目的的手段。
Never lose sight of the fact that requirements are only a means to an end.
决不要忽略看到这个事实，即需求不只是到结束的一个手段。
Brutality for our species is not just a means to an end. It is an end in itself.
野蛮对我们人类来说不仅仅意味着一个结束，它本身就是一个终结。
http://dict.hjenglish.com

That is because 'terrorism' is but a tactic -- a means to an end, which in al-Qaida's case is global domination by an Islamic caliphate.
In other words, you are an end and not a means to me unless in fact I'm exploiting you and instrumentalizing you. Right?
换言之，对我来说，你不是手段，而是目的,除非我在剥削你，或把你工具化，是吧？
耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选
Kant says people ought to be an end and not a means for us; we ought to understand them on their terms."
康德说人们应该使我们的终点，而不是途径;,我们应该从他们的角度来理解他们“
耶鲁公开课 - 文学理论导论课程节选

Trading is a different sort of economic good, just a means to an end.
FORBES: Trading Frenzy