Yī míng héshang tiāo shuǐ chī; liǎng míng héshang tái shuǐ chī; sān míng héshang méi shuǐ chī.*

一名和尚挑水吃, 兩名和尚抬水吃, 三名和尚沒水吃。

Lit A single monk brings his own bucket of water to consume, two monks carry their bucket of water jointly, [but when there are] three monks, there is no water to consume at all.

Fig “Everybody's business is nobody's business.”

Note [Cf. Lu Xun's essay in Lǔ Xùn Shū Xìn Jí: “Zhì Cǎo Jù Rén”; now more commonly said yī gè héshang, etc.]

Topics COOPERATION INTERFERENCE Lu Xun Lǔ Xùn Shū Xìn Jí PUBLIC Zhì_Cǎo_Jù_Rén