据为己有 jù wéi jǐ yǒu to appropriate

Explanation

把不属于自己的东西占为己有。

To take possession of something that does not belong to oneself.

Origin Story

话说在古代的一个繁华小镇上，住着一位名叫李明的年轻木匠。李明手艺精湛，制作的家具深受当地居民的喜爱，订单不断。一天，一位富商找到李明，请他帮忙制作一套精致的红木家具。李明欣然接受，花了数月时间，呕心沥血，终于完成了这套令人叹为观止的家具。富商十分满意，当场付清了所有款项。然而，就在送货的路上，富商突发奇想，决定将这套红木家具据为己有，留下空车回去了。李明得知此事后，悲愤交加，他深知富商财大气粗，自己难以讨回公道。他本想就此罢休，但是想到自己辛辛苦苦制作的家具，却落入他人之手，心中就无法平静。在朋友的鼓励下，李明决定向官府告状。官府经过调查，判定富商的行为属于欺诈，判决富商将红木家具归还给李明，并处以相应的罚款。李明最终拿回了自己的劳动成果，也为那些心怀不轨的人敲响了警钟。

huà shuō zài gǔdài de yīgè fán huá xiǎozhèn shàng, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào lǐ míng de nián qīng mù jiàng. lǐ míng shǒuyì jīngzhàn, zhìzuò de jiājù shēn shòu dāngdì jūmín de xǐ'ài, dìngdān bùduàn. yī tiān, yī wèi fù shāng zhǎodào lǐ míng, qǐng tā bāngmáng zhìzuò yī tào jīngzhì de hóng mù jiājù. lǐ míng xīnrán jiēshòu, huā le shù yuè shíjiān, ǒuxīnlìxuè, zhōngyú wánchéng le zhè tào lìng rén tàn wéi guānzhǐ de jiājù. fù shāng shífēn mǎnyì, dāngcháng fù qīng le suǒyǒu kuǎnxiàng. rán'ér, jiù zài sòng huò de lù shang, fù shāng tūfā qíxiǎng, juédìng jiāng zhè tào hóng mù jiājù jù wéi jǐ yǒu, liúxià kōng chē huí qù le. lǐ míng dézhī cǐ shì hòu, bēifèn jiāojiā, tā shēnzhī fù shāng cáidà qìchū, zìjǐ nányǐ tǎo huí gōngdào. tā běn xiǎng jiù cǐ bàxiū, dànshì xiǎng dào zìjǐ xīnxīnkǔkǔ zhìzuò de jiājù, què luò rù tá rén zhī shǒu, xīn zhōng jiù wúfǎ píngjìng. zài péngyou de gǔlì xià, lǐ míng juédìng xiàng guānfǔ gào zhuàng. guānfǔ jīngguò diàochá, pàn dìng fù shāng de xíngwéi shǔyú qīzhà, pànjué fù shāng jiāng hóng mù jiājù guī huán gěi lǐ míng, bìng chǔ yǐ xiāngyìng de fákuǎn. lǐ míng zhōngyú ná huí le zìjǐ de láodòng chéngguǒ, yě wèi nàxiē xīn huái bù guǐ de rén qiāoxiǎng le jǐngzhōng.

In an ancient bustling town, there lived a young carpenter named Li Ming. Li Ming was skilled in his craft, and the furniture he made was very popular among the local residents, with orders coming in constantly. One day, a wealthy merchant found Li Ming and asked him to make a set of exquisite rosewood furniture. Li Ming gladly accepted and spent months working tirelessly, finally completing a breathtaking set of furniture. The merchant was very satisfied and paid in full on the spot. However, on the way to deliver the goods, the merchant had a sudden change of heart and decided to appropriate the set of rosewood furniture for himself, leaving with an empty cart. Upon learning of this, Li Ming was filled with grief and anger. He knew the merchant was wealthy and powerful, and it would be difficult for him to get justice. He initially wanted to let it go, but the thought of his hard work falling into the wrong hands made him restless. With the encouragement of his friends, Li Ming decided to report the matter to the authorities. After investigation, the authorities found the merchant’s behavior to be fraudulent and ordered him to return the rosewood furniture to Li Ming and pay a corresponding fine. Li Ming eventually retrieved the fruits of his labor and served as a warning to those with ill intentions.

Usage

用作谓语、宾语；指将不是自己的东西占有。

yòng zuò wèiyǔ, bǐnyǔ; zhǐ jiāng bùshì zìjǐ de dōngxī zhànyǒu.

Used as predicate and object; refers to possessing something that does not belong to oneself.

Examples

• 他竟然把别人的功劳据为己有，真是令人气愤！

  tā jìngrán bǎ biérén de gōngláo jù wéi jǐ yǒu, zhēnshi lìng rén qìfèn！

  He actually appropriated the credit of others, which is really infuriating!

• 这块地原本是我的，却被他们据为己有，我必须讨回公道！

  zhè kuài dì yuánběn shì wǒ de, què bèi tāmen jù wéi jǐ yǒu, wǒ bìxū tǎo huí gōngdào！

  This land originally belonged to me, but they have appropriated it, and I must seek justice!

Related Idioms

• 贪婪

• 自私

Opposite Idioms

• 无私奉献

• 大公无私