zuòxiǎngqíchéng: 坐享其成 - To Reap Without Sowing, To Enjoy the Fruits of Others' Labor

• Keywords: zuoxiangqicheng, 坐享其成, reap what you did not sow, enjoy the fruits of others' labor, freeloading in Chinese, free-riding, mooching, benefit from others' work, Chinese idiom for laziness, taking unearned credit.
• Summary: The Chinese idiom 坐享其成 (zuòxiǎngqíchéng) describes the act of passively benefiting from the hard work and achievements of others without contributing any effort oneself. Literally meaning “to sit and enjoy their success,” this term carries a strong negative connotation, criticizing laziness, selfishness, and the unfairness of reaping where one has not sown. It's a culturally significant concept that highlights the high value placed on hard work and fair contribution in Chinese society.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): zuò xiǎng qí chéng
• Part of Speech: Idiom (成语, chéngyǔ), functions as a verb phrase.
• HSK Level: N/A (Advanced Idiom)
• Concise Definition: To sit back and enjoy the benefits of someone else's work.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine a team working hard to build a beautiful house. One person, however, just sits in a chair the whole time, watching. When the house is finished, that person is the first to move in and enjoy it. That person is 坐享其成. It’s the ultimate expression for “freeloading” or “riding on someone's coattails,” and it is almost always used as a criticism.

• 坐 (zuò): To sit. This character sets a very vivid, passive image.
• 享 (xiǎng): To enjoy; to benefit from; to have the use of.
• 其 (qí): A classical possessive pronoun meaning “his,” “her,” “its,” or in this case, “their.”
• 成 (chéng): Short for 成功 (chénggōng) or 成果 (chéngguǒ), meaning “success” or “achievements/results.”

When combined, the characters literally paint a picture: “To sit and enjoy their achievements.” The meaning is transparent and powerful, emphasizing the passivity (sitting) and the unearned nature of the enjoyment.

The idiom 坐享其成 is deeply rooted in the Chinese cultural emphasis on 勤劳 (qínláo), or diligence and hard work. For millennia, agrarian society valued contribution and viewed idleness as a vice. This idiom serves as a sharp social critique against those who violate this core value. A useful Western comparison is the phrase “to reap where one has not sown,” which has biblical origins. Both phrases condemn benefiting from labor one did not perform. However, 坐享其成 feels more personal and visual due to the character 坐 (zuò) - “to sit.” It implies a more blatant and lazy passivity. The person isn't just taking something; they are idly waiting for others to finish the work so they can benefit. This makes the accusation feel less like theft and more like a profound character flaw—a form of entitled laziness. It stands in direct opposition to the ideal of 自食其力 (zì shí qí lì), “to feed oneself with one's own strength,” which is a highly respected virtue.

This idiom is common in both spoken and written Chinese and is almost always used negatively to criticize or admonish someone.

• In the Workplace: It's frequently used to describe a lazy colleague who contributes little to a team project but shares in the credit or bonus. It's a common complaint about “free-riders” in a group setting.
• In Family Life: Parents might use this to scold a child who expects good things without putting in any effort at school or helping with chores. It can also be used to describe an adult child who lives off their parents' wealth without trying to build their own career.
• In Business and Social Commentary: It can describe a company that simply copies a competitor's innovation instead of developing its own, or a person who marries into wealth and stops working.

The tone is consistently one of disapproval, ranging from mild complaint to harsh criticism.

• Example 1:
  • 他在我們團隊裡什麼都不做，就等著坐享其成。
  • Pinyin: Tā zài wǒmen tuánduì lǐ shénme dōu bù zuò, jiù děngzhe zuòxiǎngqíchéng.
  • English: He does nothing in our team, just waiting to reap the benefits of our work.
  • Analysis: A classic workplace complaint. The speaker is frustrated with a lazy team member.
• Example 2:
  • 父母辛苦了一輩子，不是為了讓你坐享其成的。
  • Pinyin: Fùmǔ xīnkǔ le yībèizi, bùshì wèile ràng nǐ zuòxiǎngqíchéng de.
  • English: Your parents have worked hard their whole lives, not so that you could just sit back and freeload.
  • Analysis: A common parental lecture, emphasizing the value of hard work and self-reliance.
• Example 3:
  • 你不能總想著坐享其成，要學會靠自己的努力去爭取。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bùnéng zǒng xiǎngzhe zuòxiǎngqíchéng, yào xuéhuì kào zìjǐ de nǔlì qù zhēngqǔ.
  • English: You can't always be thinking about benefiting from others' work; you have to learn to fight for things through your own efforts.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses the idiom as a piece of advice, contrasting it with the positive action of “relying on one's own effort” (靠自己的努力).
• Example 4:
  • 這家公司沒有自己的創新，只會收購小公司來坐享其成。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī méiyǒu zìjǐ de chuàngxīn, zhǐ huì shōugòu xiǎo gōngsī lái zuòxiǎngqíchéng.
  • English: This company has no innovation of its own; it just acquires small companies to enjoy their success.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the idiom's use in a business context, criticizing a lack of originality.
• Example 5:
  • 我寧願從零開始，也不願意坐享其成。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ nìngyuàn cóng líng kāishǐ, yě bù yuànyì zuòxiǎngqíchéng.
  • English: I would rather start from scratch than just sit and enjoy the fruits of others' labor.
  • Analysis: A strong statement of principle, showing personal integrity and a rejection of the freeloading mindset.
• Example 6:
  • 你以為創業成功後，就可以每天坐享其成了嗎？其實會更忙。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ yǐwéi chuàngyè chénggōng hòu, jiù kěyǐ měitiān zuòxiǎngqíchéng le ma? Qíshí huì gèng máng.
  • English: Did you think that after successfully starting a business, you could just relax and enjoy the rewards every day? In fact, you'll be even busier.
  • Analysis: This example dispels a naive notion. It uses the idiom to describe a fantasy of passive success that is unrealistic.
• Example 7:
  • 繼承了巨大的財富，他卻沒有坐享其成，反而更加努力地工作。
  • Pinyin: Jìchéng le jùdà de cáifù, tā què méiyǒu zuòxiǎngqíchéng, fǎn'ér gèngjiā nǔlì de gōngzuò.
  • English: After inheriting a huge fortune, he didn't just sit on his laurels; on the contrary, he worked even harder.
  • Analysis: This is a powerful way to praise someone. By stating what the person didn't do (坐享其成), it highlights their admirable work ethic.
• Example 8:
  • 歷史上，很多王朝的滅亡都是因為後代君主只知坐享其成，不思進取。
  • Pinyin: Lìshǐ shàng, hěnduō wángcháo de mièwáng dōu shì yīnwèi hòudài jūnzhǔ zhǐ zhī zuòxiǎngqíchéng, bùsī jìnqǔ.
  • English: In history, the downfall of many dynasties was because later emperors only knew how to enjoy the achievements of their predecessors and had no ambition.
  • Analysis: This shows the idiom used in a formal, historical context to explain a major consequence.
• Example 9:
  • 他對女朋友的付出視而不見，一心只想坐享其成。
  • Pinyin: Tā duì nǚpéngyǒu de fùchū shì'érbùjiàn, yīxīn zhǐ xiǎng zuòxiǎngqíchéng.
  • English: He turns a blind eye to his girlfriend's contributions, single-mindedly wanting to just enjoy the benefits.
  • Analysis: An example from a relationship context, describing an unbalanced and unfair dynamic.
• Example 10:
  • 別人辛辛苦苦種的樹，你卻想在樹下坐享其成，這不公平。
  • Pinyin: Biérén xīn xīn kǔ kǔ zhòng de shù, nǐ què xiǎng zài shù xià zuòxiǎngqíchéng, zhè bù gōngpíng.
  • English: Others worked so hard to plant the tree, but you want to just sit under it and enjoy the shade. That's not fair.
  • Analysis: A metaphorical sentence that vividly illustrates the core meaning and injustice implied by the idiom.

• It's Not About Luck: A common mistake is to confuse 坐享其成 with simply being lucky. Winning the lottery is not 坐享其成 because the winnings didn't come from another person's specific labor. This idiom requires a clear “laborer” and a “freeloader.”
  • Incorrect: 他中了彩票，真是坐享其成。(He won the lottery, really reaping where he didn't sow.)
  • Reason: This is incorrect because lottery winnings are a result of random chance, not someone else's targeted effort that he is now enjoying.
• Passive vs. Active: 坐享其成 emphasizes passivity. It's different from actively stealing an idea or taking credit (which might be better described by 冒名顶替, màomíngdǐngtì - to assume someone's name and take their place). The person described by 坐享其成 often contributes nothing at all, not even deception; they just benefit from the result.
• Strongly Negative: Never use this idiom as a compliment or in a neutral way. It is a direct criticism of someone's character and work ethic.

• 不劳而获 (bù láo ér huò) - To gain without putting in any work. A very close synonym and a more direct, less pictorial way of expressing the same idea.
• 自食其力 (zì shí qí lì) - To support oneself by one's own labor. A direct and powerful antonym, representing the cultural ideal.
• 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) - To wait by a stump for a hare. An idiom for foolishly waiting for luck or a windfall instead of working proactively. It's related through the theme of passivity but focuses on foolishness rather than freeloading.
• 坐吃山空 (zuò chī shān kōng) - To sit and eat a mountain until it's empty. Describes someone who only consumes resources (like an inheritance) without producing anything, eventually leading to ruin. It's related to the “sitting” and lack of contribution.
• 渔翁得利 (yú wēng dé lì) - The old fisherman gets the benefit. Describes a third party who profits from the conflict of two others. This is a specific type of 坐享其成, where the “work” of others is their fighting.
• 勤劳 (qínláo) - Diligent, hardworking. The core cultural value that 坐享其成 violates.