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近水樓臺

简近水楼台 · 繁近水樓臺

Mandarin · pinyin jìn shuǐ lóu tái

lit. a pavilion near the water (idiom); fig. using one's proximity to the powerful to obtain favor

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Characters in this entry

近: jìn · near, close; approach; intimate
水: shuǐ · water, liquid, lotion, juice
樓: Look up this written character
臺: Look up this written character
楼: lóu · building of two or more stories
台: tái · platform; unit; term of address

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

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Mandarin tones

4–3–2–2 · jin4 shui3 lou2 tai2

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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.

近水樓臺 · find source passages ↗ · 近水楼台 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gan6 seoi2 lau4 toi4

Cantonese word readings for 近水樓臺. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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

(idiomatic) to have a close relationship with someone or be in close proximity to something, which confers advantages

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

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