"Turbid waters make fish easier to catch" literally means stirring up the water to cloud a fish's sense of direction and then seizing the chance to catch it. In its deeper sense, it refers to exploiting a chaotic, turbulent, or uncertain situation, when others have no time to pay attention, in order to seek improper personal gain. This idiom comes from the twentieth stratagem in The Thirty-Six Stratagems. It was originally a military strategy, meaning that when the enemy is in internal disorder and command has broken down, one can defeat them in one stroke or profit from the chaos. Later it came to be widely used in politics, business, daily life, and other fields. It is mostly used with a derogatory meaning, describing people who stop at nothing and seek advantage by opportunism. In emotional tone, it carries a clear sense of criticism and warning, reminding people to guard against opportunistic behavior that may appear amid chaos. In cultural background, it reflects the importance placed on timing and situation in traditional Chinese wisdom, but it also emphasizes moral bottom lines and opposes benefiting oneself at others' expense.
📝 Example
1. When the stock market plunges, some lawbreakers take the opportunity to fish in troubled waters by spreading false information to manipulate stock prices. (Referring to exploiting market chaos for personal gain.)
2. With the company's internal management in disarray, he seized the opportunity to fish in troubled waters and embezzled public funds for personal use. (Referring to taking advantage of chaos to seek personal gain.)