坐享其成 (zuò xiǎng jī) — to enjoy the fruits of others' labor without working for them
Definition
A formal chengyu meaning 'to reap benefits without contributing any effort yourself' — always negative in tone, criticizing freeloaders. The pattern literally pairs 'sit (坐) and enjoy (享)' with 'its (其) results (成)'.
idiom
to enjoy the fruits of others' labor without working for them
Examples
- 坐享其成，。Tā zǒng shì xiǎng zuò xiǎng jī, cóng bú zì jǐ nǔ lì.He always wants to enjoy the fruits of others' labor and never works hard himself.
- 坐享其成，。Gōng sī de yì xiē yuán gōng zhī xiǎng zuò xiǎng jī, dǎo zhì tuán duì xiào lǜ xià jiàng.Some employees in the company just want to enjoy the fruits of others' labor, causing the team's efficiency to drop.
- 坐享其成，。Wǒ men bù néng zuò xiǎng jī, měi gè rén dōu yǒu yì wù gòng xiàn lì liàng.We cannot enjoy the fruits of others' labor; everyone has the duty to contribute.
Appears in
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