魚心あれば水心あり

魚心有れば水心有り

Reading

Kana: うおこころあればみずこころあり

Romaji: uokokoroarebamizukokoroari

Definition

exp

1

if you do a favor for somebody, you will get a return favor; if a fish is friendly toward water, water will be kind to the fish too; you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours

Note: idiomatic expression

See also: 魚心あれば水心

Kanji

魚

Readings: ギョ、 うお、 さかな、 -ざかな

Meaning: fish

心

Readings: シン、 こころ、 -ごころ

Meanings: heart, mind, spirit, heart radical (no. 61)

水

Readings: スイ、 みず、 みず-

Meaning: water

有

Readings: ユウ、 ウ、 あ.る

Meanings: possess, have, exist, happen, occur, approx