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以鄰為壑

简以邻为壑 · 繁以鄰為壑

Mandarin · pinyin yǐ lín wéi hè

to use one's neighbor as a drain
to shift one's problems onto others (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
鄰: Look up this written character
為: Look up this written character
壑: hè · bed of torrent, narrow ravine
邻: lín · neighbor; neighborhood
为: wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–2–2–4 · yi3 lin2 wei2 he4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

以鄰為壑 · find source passages ↗ · 以邻为壑 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(figuratively) to benefit oneself at others' expense; beggar-thy-neighbor

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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