沾光 (zhān guāng) — to benefit from association with someone and get benefit from it; to enjoy reflected glory
Definition
沾光 means 'to ride on someone else's coattails' — gaining benefit from their success or generosity, not by your own effort. Here 沾 is figurative ('to get a share by association'), not physical contact.
verb
to benefit from association with someone and get benefit from itto enjoy reflected glory
Examples
- ，。Zhè cì tā píng shàng yōu xiù, wán quán shì zhān le shī fu de guāng.He got the 'excellent' rating this time entirely because of his master's reputation.
- 沾光，。Bié zǒng xiǎng zhe zhān guāng, zì jǐ nǔ lì cái kào pǔ.Don't always try to ride on others' coattails — hard work yourself is what counts.
- ，。Tā qǐng kè, wǒ yě qù zhān diǎn r guāng.He's treating, so I'll go and get some benefit out of it.
Appears in
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