划水

huáshuǐ
verb #27,199

Meanings

  1. 1 to coast
  2. 2 to do the bare minimum
  3. 3 to slack off

Characters

Literally 'paddle water' — doing just enough to stay afloat without real effort

Examples

Tā zài xiǎozǔ zuòyè lǐ yīzhí huáshuǐ.
He's been coasting through the group project.
Bié huáshuǐ le, rènzhēn diǎn gànhuó.
Stop slacking off and work seriously.
Dǎ yóuxì de shíhou zuì tǎoyàn yǒu rén huáshuǐ.
The most annoying thing in gaming is when someone coasts.

Tips

culture
划水 originally comes from competitive swimming — paddling gently just to stay afloat rather than racing hard. It became popular in gaming communities to describe teammates who contribute nothing, then spread to work and school contexts.
usage
Similar to 摸鱼 but with a slightly different nuance: 摸鱼 emphasizes secretly doing personal stuff, while 划水 emphasizes putting in minimal effort while appearing to participate.

Stroke Order

huà
shuǐ