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引水入墙

引水入牆
yǐnshuǐrùqiáng
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 lit. to channel water through one's own wall
  2. 2 to invite trouble upon oneself
  3. 3 to bring disaster on oneself

Examples

把这种人请进公司，简直是引水入墙。
Bǎ zhè zhǒng rén qǐng jìn gōngsī, jiǎnzhí shì yǐnshuǐrùqiáng.
Bringing this kind of person into the company is just inviting disaster.
向竞争对手透露技术细节，无异于引水入墙。
Xiàng jìngzhēng duìshǒu tòulù jìshù xìjié, wúyì yú yǐnshuǐrùqiáng.
Revealing technical details to a competitor is no different from welcoming the flood through your own wall.

Tips

history
From 文康's Qing-era novel 《儿女英雄传》 (Ér nǚ Yīngxióng Zhuàn, 'A Tale of Heroic Lovers'), Chapter 4: '这不是我自己引水入墙，开门揖盗么？' — 'Isn't this just channeling water through my own wall and bowing thieves in through the front door?' Often paired with 开门揖盗 (kāiményīdào, 'opening the gate and bowing the thief in').
usage
Used to scold someone — often in hindsight — for an action that handed an enemy or hazard direct access. Stronger than 自找麻烦 (zìzhǎo máfan, 'asking for trouble'); the water imagery suggests a flood you can't take back.

Stroke Order

引 yǐn
水 shuǐ
入 rù
墙 qiáng