The last sentence is that there is no water in a big river, and a dry river is the fruit. The original meaning means that when there is no water in the big river, the small river will inevitably dry up. For example, if the collective strength is weak and the collective income is gone, then the personal strength is weak and the personal income is gone.
These two sentences are linked together. The first whole sentence is the cause and the last whole sentence is the result. It means that the former sentence emphasizes cooperation, contribution and participation, while the latter sentence emphasizes distribution, enjoyment and domination. The amount of contribution and participation determines the amount of distribution and enjoyment later.
It can be seen that these two sentences are not contradictory, but the dialectical relationship of unity of opposites, which only represents different artistic conception.
Social wealth is created by the people, part of which is held by the state on behalf of the people and part of which is held by the people themselves. We often say that "there is water in a big river, but there is no water in a big river". On the other hand, we think that a big river can only be full with water, and it should be dry without water.
Only when the wealth of the country and individuals increases can the country be strong and better meet the growing material and cultural needs of the people. The prosperity of the country and the prosperity of the people are mutually conditional.
Extended data
Pay attention to the application misunderstanding:
Many company bosses unilaterally emphasize "big rivers have water, big rivers have water", "bowls in pots" and the importance of company interests. They turn a blind eye to "the river is full of water and the river is dry", ignoring the importance of employees' contributions and interests.
This behavior of separating the dialectical relationship between "the river is full of water and the river is dry" will inevitably lead to problems in its company's operation.
Many company employees unilaterally emphasize that "when the river is full, it will dry up when it is gone" and "the horse and fat water will not flow out of the field", thinking that their importance and personal interests are paramount. Whether there is a river or not is the company's own business, not their own.
This is also against the principle of unity of opposites, and the result is bound to be separation from the team.
"Allow some people to get rich first" and "share the great achievements of 40 years of reform and opening up" are the best interpretations of "small rivers are full of water and big rivers are dry".
References:
Public Network-Cheng Siwei on the Draft Property Law: A river without water will do.