<blockquote>
<p>a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>It is <a href="http://pedia.cloud.edu.tw/Entry/Detail/?title=%E7%84%A1%E5%8A%9F%E5%8F%97%E7%A5%BF" rel="nofollow noreferrer">無功受祿</a> or <a href="https://idiom.wlps.kl.edu.tw/9300" rel="nofollow noreferrer">竪子成名</a></p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p><em>If it was you who get the undeserved reward, you can use <a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/4197/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">受之有愧</a>: as a self-humbling respond.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>~</p>
<blockquote>
<p>someone who is clueless about a specific task but somehow lucks their way to a satisfactory result (copy-pasting random code from the internet and obtaining a working program)</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>It is <a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%AD%AA%E6%89%93%E6%AD%A3%E7%9D%80/2133080" rel="nofollow noreferrer">歪打正着</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>~</p>
<blockquote>
<p>someone who doesn't mind deadlines but somehow doesn't get burnt when the day of reckoning comes (forgetting to file the tax declaration, but not getting investigated by the tax authority)</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>you can call it <a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/32108/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">大難不死</a>，<a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/57764/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">福大命大</a> or 時辰未到 (time for the karma to take effect has not come yet/ not the time to die yet )</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/1015/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">不勞而獲</a>:  'to succeed with no effort' doesn't state a reward someone obtained is deserved or not. (you can get a reward with no effort by working smart) therefore not included in my answer</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Is there a chengyu to mean “undeserved reward”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://pedia.cloud.edu.tw/Entry/Detail/?title=%E7%84%A1%E5%8A%9F%E5%8F%97%E7%A5%BF" rel="nofollow noreferrer">無功受祿</a> fit the bill. (clearly stated the reward is undeserved)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-01T13:46:08.013Z
2020-07-01T20:54:08.817Z
2020-07-01T20:54:08.817Z
Tang Ho
<blockquote>
<p>a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>不费之惠（不費之惠）</p>
<p><a href="https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%B8%8D%E8%B4%B9%E4%B9%8B%E6%83%A0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%B8%8D%E8%B4%B9%E4%B9%8B%E6%83%A0</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-01T20:36:04.360Z
Similar to 不勞而獲, it doesn't state a reward someone obtained is deserved or not. (you can be benefited with no cost by working smart)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-01T17:58:49.697Z
2020-07-01T17:58:49.697Z
sfy
<p>For the second and third situations, I think @Tang Ho has answered them perfectly.
But for the first, which is</p>
<ul>
<li>a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.</li>
</ul>
<p>I will suggest you say 坐領<a href="https://pedia.cloud.edu.tw/Entry/Detail/?title=%E4%B9%BE%E8%96%AA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">乾薪</a>, or call the person a 肥貓(fat cat).</p>
<p>If you want to be very specific,
坐領乾薪 covers the &quot;lazy and did absolutely nothing&quot; part.
while 肥貓 covers the whole story.</p>
<p>These two words are widely used in news or internet forums, and I think they can help you speak like a native.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-02T04:00:22.890Z
2020-07-02T04:00:22.890Z
hungmi
<p>不劳而获。指不付出任何努力就能轻易获得成功，或者获得某些成果</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-01T20:06:57.520Z
2020-07-01T20:06:57.520Z
芸香科橙子同学
<p>Let's consider someone who sits on their buttocks all day, but, in spite of <strong>not</strong> working hard, gets rewarded anyway.</p>
<p>Some examples:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.</p>
</li>
<li><p>someone who is clueless about a specific task but somehow lucks their way to a satisfactory result (copy-pasting random code from the internet and obtaining a working program)</p>
</li>
<li><p>someone who doesn't mind deadlines but somehow doesn't get burnt when the day of reckoning comes (forgetting to file the tax declaration, but not getting investigated by the tax authority)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>These examples might be not entirely related, as undeserved reward and undeserved luck are not exactly the same thing.</p>
<p>However I wonder if there's a chengyu to express such a thing.</p>

<chengyu>
Is there a chengyu to mean "undeserved reward" or "undeserved luck"?
# Is there a chengyu to mean "undeserved reward" or "undeserved luck"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-01)

Let's consider someone who sits on their buttocks all day, but, in spite of **not** working hard, gets rewarded anyway.

Some examples:

* a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.
* someone who is clueless about a specific task but somehow lucks their way to a satisfactory result (copy-pasting random code from the internet and obtaining a working program)
* someone who doesn't mind deadlines but somehow doesn't get burnt when the day of reckoning comes (forgetting to file the tax declaration, but not getting investigated by the tax authority)

These examples might be not entirely related, as undeserved reward and undeserved luck are not exactly the same thing.

However I wonder if there's a chengyu to express such a thing.

**Tags:** chengyu


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-07-01. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

> a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

> It is [無功受祿](http://pedia.cloud.edu.tw/Entry/Detail/?title=%E7%84%A1%E5%8A%9F%E5%8F%97%E7%A5%BF) or [竪子成名](https://idiom.wlps.kl.edu.tw/9300)

> *If it was you who get the undeserved reward, you can use [受之有愧](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/4197/): as a self-humbling respond.*

~

> someone who is clueless about a specific task but somehow lucks their way to a satisfactory result (copy-pasting random code from the internet and obtaining a working program)

> It is [歪打正着](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%AD%AA%E6%89%93%E6%AD%A3%E7%9D%80/2133080)

~

> someone who doesn't mind deadlines but somehow doesn't get burnt when the day of reckoning comes (forgetting to file the tax declaration, but not getting investigated by the tax authority)

> you can call it [大難不死](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/32108/)，[福大命大](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/57764/) or 時辰未到 (time for the karma to take effect has not come yet/ not the time to die yet )

*[不勞而獲](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/1015/): 'to succeed with no effort' doesn't state a reward someone obtained is deserved or not. (you can get a reward with no effort by working smart) therefore not included in my answer*

> *Is there a chengyu to mean “undeserved reward”*

[無功受祿](http://pedia.cloud.edu.tw/Entry/Detail/?title=%E7%84%A1%E5%8A%9F%E5%8F%97%E7%A5%BF) fit the bill. (clearly stated the reward is undeserved)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-07-01. Score: 2

> a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

不费之惠（不費之惠）

<https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%B8%8D%E8%B4%B9%E4%B9%8B%E6%83%A0>

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Similar to 不勞而獲, it doesn't state a reward someone obtained is deserved or not. (you can be benefited with no cost by working smart)  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-07-02. Score: 2

For the second and third situations, I think @username_1 has answered them perfectly.
But for the first, which is

* a particularly lazy coworker who gets a promotion/raise even if they did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

I will suggest you say 坐領[乾薪](https://pedia.cloud.edu.tw/Entry/Detail/?title=%E4%B9%BE%E8%96%AA), or call the person a 肥貓(fat cat).

If you want to be very specific,
坐領乾薪 covers the "lazy and did absolutely nothing" part.
while 肥貓 covers the whole story.

These two words are widely used in news or internet forums, and I think they can help you speak like a native.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-07-01. Score: 1

不劳而获。指不付出任何努力就能轻易获得成功，或者获得某些成果


---

