城门失火

Pronunciation: chéng mén shī huǒ Literal meaning: City gate catches fire

Origin & Usage

This idiom comes from a longer expression where the city gate (城门) catches fire (失火), but the disaster spreads to harm fish in the moat (殃及池鱼). It originated from Han Dynasty governance warnings about how problems at centers of power affect even distant, unrelated parties. The image drew from actual urban disasters where city gates - critical defensive structures - could spread fire widely when burning. During the Tang Dynasty, historical chronicles used it to describe how imperial court scandals damaged provincial affairs. Modern usage describes collateral damage from major problems, particularly situations where powerful entities' difficulties harm innocent bystanders, like corporate scandals affecting rank-and-file employees or political conflicts harming civilian populations.

Examples

English: "The minister's minor scandal harmed innocent department members"

Chinese: 部长的小丑闻损害了无辜的部门成员