井水不犯河水 jǐng shuǐ bù fàn hé shuǐ Well water doesn't violate river water

Explanation

比喻双方互不干涉，互不侵犯。

It means that both sides do not interfere with each other and do not violate each other.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个小镇上，住着两个家族，他们世代居住在相邻的两条河边。一条河叫做‘井’，另一条河叫做‘河’。两家的人彼此之间虽然很近，但是由于不同的信仰和生活习惯，长期以来一直井水不犯河水，互不干扰。他们各自在自己的河边生活，发展自己的产业，甚至连互相串门都很少。两家家族的长辈都教育自己的子孙后代要保持这种状态，要各安其位，互相尊重。他们这种“井水不犯河水”的状态一直持续了几百年，成为了当地的一段佳话。有一天，附近来了一个外来的商人，他试图挑拨离间两大家族，让他们相互争斗，以便从中渔利。可是，两大家族的人们对他的挑拨置之不理，他们深知，几百年来建立的和谐关系是多么的宝贵，是不能轻易被破坏的。最终，商人失败而归。两家继续保持着井水不犯河水，互不干涉的关系，他们的故事也成为了人们互相尊重，和平共处的典范。

hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zài yīgè xiǎo zhèn shang, zhù zhe liǎng gè jiāzú, tāmen shìdài jūzhù zài xiānglín de liǎng tiáo hé biān. yī tiáo hé jiào zuò 'jǐng', lìng yī tiáo hé jiào zuò 'hé'. liǎng jiā de rén bǐcǐ zhī jiān suīrán hěn jìn, dànshì yóuyú bùtóng de xìnyǎng hé shēnghuó xíguàn, chángqí yǐlái yīzhí jǐng shuǐ bù fàn héshuǐ, hù bù gānrǎo. tāmen gèzì zài zìjǐ de hé biān shēnghuó, fāzhǎn zìjǐ de chǎnyè, shènzhì lián hùxiāng chuànmén dōu hěn shǎo. liǎng jiā jiāzú de chángbèi dōu jiàoyù zìjǐ de zǐsūn hòudài yào bǎochí zhè zhǒng zhuàngtài, yào gè'ān qí wèi, hùxiāng zūnzhòng. tāmen zhè zhǒng 'jǐng shuǐ bù fàn héshuǐ' de zhuàngtài yīzhí chíxù le jǐ bǎi nián, chéngwéi le dàngxī de yī duàn jiāhuà. yǒu yī tiān, fùjìn lái le yīgè wàilái de shāngrén, tā shìtú tiǎobō lìjiān liǎng dà jiāzú, ràng tāmen xiānghù zhēngdòu, yǐbiàn cóng zhōng yúlì. kěshì, liǎng dà jiāzú de rénmen duì tā de tiǎobō zhì zhī bùlǐ, tāmen shēnzhī, jǐ bǎi nián lái jiànlì de héxié guānxi shì duōme de bǎoguì, shì bù néng qīngyì bèi pòhuài de. zuìzhōng, shāngrén shībài ér guī. liǎng jiā jìxù bǎochí zhe jǐng shuǐ bù fàn héshuǐ, hù bù gānshè de guānxi, tāmen de gùshì yě chéngwéi le rénmen hùxiāng zūnzhòng, hépíng gòngchǔ de diǎnfàn.

Long ago, in a small town, there lived two families who had lived for generations on the banks of two adjacent rivers. One river was called 'Well', and the other was called 'River'. Although the two families were close to each other, due to their different beliefs and lifestyles, they had long maintained a peaceful coexistence, without interfering with each other. They lived on their own riverbanks, developed their own industries, and rarely even visited each other. The elders of both families educated their descendants to maintain this state, to keep to their own place and respect each other. This 'well water doesn't violate river water' state lasted for hundreds of years, becoming a local legend. One day, a foreign merchant came to the area and tried to incite discord between the two families, hoping to profit from their conflict. But the families ignored his attempts, knowing how valuable the harmonious relationship built up over hundreds of years was and that it could not be easily broken. Eventually, the merchant failed and left. The two families continued to maintain their peaceful non-interference, their story becoming an example of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

Usage

用于形容双方互不干涉，互不侵犯的状态。

yòng yú xíngróng shuāngfāng hù bù gānshè, hù bù qīnfàn de zhuàngtài

Used to describe the state in which both sides do not interfere with each other and do not violate each other.

Examples

• 两家公司井水不犯河水，互不干扰。

  liǎng jiā gōngsī jǐng shuǐ bù fàn héshuǐ, hù bù gānrǎo

  The two companies keep to themselves and don't interfere with each other.

• 他们虽然是邻居，但一直井水不犯河水，从不来往。

  tāmen suīrán shì línjū, dàn yīzhí jǐng shuǐ bù fàn héshuǐ, cóng bù lái wǎng

  Although they are neighbors, they have never interacted.

• 他俩虽然是竞争对手，但一直井水不犯河水，相安无事。

  tā liǎ suīrán shì jìngzhēng duìshǒu, dàn yīzhí jǐng shuǐ bù fàn héshuǐ, xiāng'ān wúshì

  Although they are competitors, they have always kept to themselves and lived peacefully side by side

Related Idioms

• 互不干涉

• 各行其是

Opposite Idioms

• 亲密无间

• 勾心斗角