我 田 引 水(がでんいんすい)

がでんいんすい

four-character idiom

self-serving

1. self-serving; drawing water to one's own rice field

Acting in one's own interest; interpreting situations to one's own advantage; being self-serving in arguments or actions.

彼(かれ)の意見(いけん)は我田引水(がでんいんすい)だ。

His opinion is self-serving.

我田引水(がでんいんすい)な解釈(かいしゃく)をしないでほしい。

Please don't interpret things to suit your own interests.

その論文(ろんぶん)は我田引水(がでんいんすい)な主張(しゅちょう)が多(おお)い。

That paper has many self-serving arguments.

STRUCTURE: 我(が) (my/one's own) + 田(でん) (rice field) + 引(いん) (draw/pull) + 水(すい) (water). The image is of a farmer diverting irrigation water to their own field, leaving less for neighbors.

USAGE: Used to criticize someone for being self-serving, biased, or interpreting facts to favor themselves. Often used as a na-adjective.

COMMON PATTERNS:

我田引水(がでんいんすい)な意見(いけん) (a self-serving opinion)
我田引水(がでんいんすい)な解釈(かいしゃく) (a self-serving interpretation)
我田引水(がでんいんすい)に考(かんが)える (to think in a self-serving way)

SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:

自分勝手(じぶんかって) (selfish)
手前味噌(てまえみそ) (self-praise, tooting one's own horn)
利己的(りこてき) (selfish, egotistical)

Related Words

Synonym: 自分勝手(じぶんかって) (selfish)

general

Added 2026.1.17 14:25 · Revised 2026.6.21 12:22

06000/06220_gadeninsui