Definition
肥水 is a metaphorical compound (fertile water) that refers to valuable resources, benefits, or advantages that a person or group should keep within their own circle rather than letting outsiders share. It is most commonly encountered in the idiom 肥水不流外人田 (féi shuǐ bù liú wàirén tián), meaning 'not let benefits flow to others' fields' — i.e., keep good things for yourself or your in-group.
n.
benefitsadvantagesor valuable resources (especially those one should keep within one's own family or group)
Examples
- 肥水，。Tāmen gōngsī de féi shuǐ hěn zú, suǒyǐ fāzhǎn de hěn kuài.Their company has abundant resources, so it is developing very quickly.
- 肥水，。Yào jìzhu féi shuǐ bù liú wàirén tián, zhège xiàngmù bìxū yóu wǒmen zìjǐ lái zuò.Remember that benefits should not go to outsiders — we must do this project ourselves.
- 肥水，。Jiāzú qǐyè wǎngwǎng bǎ féi shuǐ liú gěi hòudài, bú yuàn fēnxiǎng gěi wàirén.Family businesses often keep the advantageous resources for their descendants and are unwilling to share with outsiders.
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