This article originally featured in the December 2020 issue of Connect.
Lara Yi (Incoming JET)
我田引水
gaden’insui
The meaning of gaden’insui is to do or say something for one’s own benefit, and can be translated into: drawing water for one’s own rice paddy.
Idiom Breakdown (1)
我 / が / ga / I, pronoun
田 / でん / den / rice paddy, noun
引 / いん / in / to pull, verb
水 / すい / sui / water, noun
Example Sentences (2,3)
そんな自己中心的な考えは、我田引水というものだ。
Son’na jiko chūshin-tekina kangae wa, gaden’insui to iu monoda.
Such self-centered thinking is called drawing water for one’s own rice paddy.
Sources
https://bit.ly/2ID0FYn
https://bit.ly/35x3raj
https://bit.ly/3px3on3