Chinese idiom · 成语
涸泽而渔
Meaning
To drain a lake to fish; to exhaust resources for short-term gain.
Character by character
Origin and story
Political analogyThis is an attested variant of 竭泽而渔. Lüshi Chunqiu (呂氏春秋), Yi Shang (義賞), records Yong Ji warning Duke Wen of Jin about relying on deception in war. Draining a marsh may yield fish immediately, he says, but leaves none for the next year; burning vegetation for game has the same flaw. A short-term trick is not a lasting policy.
The duke uses another adviser’s tactic to win, yet ranks Yong Ji’s counsel higher when assigning rewards because it concerns enduring benefit. Huainanzi also uses the draining image in a criticism of destructive exploitation. The variant with 涸 is documented in Song Shu.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
只顾眼前销量，过度消耗老客户的信任，无异于涸泽而渔。
Chasing immediate sales by exhausting loyal customers’ trust destroys the source of future business.
Warns against extracting everything now and leaving nothing for future use.