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近水楼台先得月

jìn shuǐ lóu tái xiān dé yuèdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
the pavilion closest to the water enjoys moonlight first (idiom) / to benefit from intimacy with an influential person
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-6e15edd346739628. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

近水樓臺先得月 近水楼台先得月 [jin4 shui3 lou2 tai2 xian1 de2 yue4] /the pavilion closest to the water enjoys moonlight first (idiom)/to benefit from intimacy with an influential person/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 近水樓臺先得月

  • 近
    jìn

    near / close to / approximately

  • 水
    shuǐ

    water / (after a name) ... River / to swim (used mostly in 會水|会水[huì shuǐ] and 水性[shuǐ xìng]) / (coll.) lacking in substance / shoddy / (bound form) additional cost / extra income / classifier for washings of a garment

    Shuǐ

    surname Shui / Shui ethnic group

  • 楼
    lóu

    house with more than 1 story / storied building / floor / CL:層|层[céng],座[zuò],棟|栋[dòng]

    Lóu

    surname Lou

  • 台
    tāi

    used in place names

    tái

    (classical) you (in letters) / desk / table / counter / platform / stage / terrace / stand / support / station / broadcasting station / classifier for vehicles or machines / typhoon

    Tái

    Taiwan (abbr.) / surname Tai

  • 先
    xiān

    beforehand / first / earlier / at first / originally / for the time being / for now / (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)

  • 得
    dé

    to obtain / to get / to gain / to catch (a disease) / proper / suitable / proud / contented / to allow / to permit / ready / finished

    dè

    used in 得瑟[dè se]

    de

    structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc

    děi

    to have to / must / ought to / to need to

  • 月
    yuè

    moon / month / monthly / CL:個|个[gè],輪|轮[lún]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.