隔岸观火

Pronunciation: gé àn guān huǒ Literal meaning: Watch fire from opposite shore

Origin & Usage

To watch (观) the fire (火) from across (隔) the bank (岸). It is the ninth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, where the advice is precise: when the enemy's internal disorder is growing, do not intervene, because pressure from outside will unite them and waiting will let the split do the work. So the detachment is tactical rather than callous in the original. Ordinary modern use has dropped the tactics and kept the coldness, and it now describes standing by while something burns.

Examples

English: "The competing company observed their rival's crisis without offering assistance"

Chinese: 竞争公司隔岸观火，看着对手的危机而不提供帮助