諺語 · a single proverb
隔岸觀火
Simplified: 隔岸观火
What does 隔岸觀火 (gé àn guān huǒ) mean?
隔岸觀火 (gé àn guān huǒ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "from the opposite bank watch the fire." In use it means: Watch from a safe distance while others suffer; stand aside and observe without helping. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "from the opposite bank watch the fire."
The reading
The fire looks dramatic from the other bank, and the distance that makes it safe also makes it someone else's problem. There is a calculation in this that looks like strategy but often turns out to be the kind of safety that makes no friends. The shore you are standing on is only dry until the fire learns to cross water.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Sun Zi 孫子兵法·三十六計 (Thirty-Six Stratagems)
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Frog, and Year of the Rat.
Questions
Is 隔岸觀火 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 隔岸觀火 (gé àn guān huǒ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Sun Zi 孫子兵法·三十六計 (Thirty-Six Stratagems). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 隔岸觀火?
In Mandarin it is gé àn guān huǒ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 隔岸觀火 aloud in Mandarin.