羊毛出在羊身上

yángmáochūzàiyángshēnshàng

idiom

Meanings

1 the wool comes from the sheep's back
2 whatever is given is paid for in the end
3 you pay for any 'free' benefit one way or another

Characters

Examples

商家说免费送货，其实羊毛出在羊身上，已经算在价格里了。

Shāngjiā shuō miǎnfèi sònghuò, qíshí yángmáochūzàiyángshēnshàng, yǐjīng suàn zài jiàgé lǐ le.

The shop says shipping is free, but the wool comes from the sheep — it's already baked into the price.

公司给员工的福利，归根结底也是羊毛出在羊身上。

Gōngsī gěi yuángōng de fúlì, guīgēnjiédǐ yěshì yángmáochūzàiyángshēnshàng.

Employee benefits, when you trace them back, also come out of the employees' own labor.

保险理赔的钱羊毛出在羊身上，最终是大家分摊的。

Bǎoxiǎn lǐpéi de qián yángmáochūzàiyángshēnshàng, zuìzhōng shì dàjiā fēntān de.

Insurance payouts come from the sheep itself — ultimately everyone shares the cost.

Tips

usage

Standard cynical retort to anything advertised as 'free.' Very common in everyday consumer talk and economic commentary.

history

Recorded in 李宝嘉's late-Qing satirical novel 《官场现形记》, where a bribe is shrugged off because the costs will fall back on the same victims anyway.

Stroke Order

羊 yáng

毛 máo

出 chū

在 zài

身 shēn

上 shàng