近水樓臺先得月
简 近水楼台先得月 · 繁 近水樓臺先得月Meanings
- the pavilion closest to the water enjoys moonlight first (idiom)
- to benefit from intimacy with an influential person
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
- 先
- xiān · first, former, previous
- 得
- dé · obtain, get, gain, acquire
- 月
- yuè · moon; month; Kangxi radical 74
- 楼
- lóu · building of two or more stories
- 台
- tái · platform; unit; term of address
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4–3–2–2–1–2–4 · jin4 shui3 lou2 tai2 xian1 de2 yue4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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.
近水樓臺先得月 · find source passages ↗ · 近水楼台先得月 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
gan6 seoi2 lau4 toi4 sin1 dak1 jyut6
Cantonese word readings for 近水樓臺先得月. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- proximity or closeness to someone or something grants an advantage or priority in gaining certain benefits
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack