城門失火,殃及池魚

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Chinese

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city gate; Shing Mun to catch fire; to misfire to suffer as a bystander; to get caught in the crossfire
trad. (城門失火,殃及池魚) 城門 失火 殃及池魚
simp. (城门失火,殃及池鱼) 城门 失火 殃及池鱼
Literally: “a fire in the city gates is also a calamity for the fish in the moat”.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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城門失火,殃及池魚

  1. (figurative) to suffer as a bystander; to get caught in the crossfire

Usage notes

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The meaning of 池魚 is disputed. One theory said that it is a person (池仲魚)'s name.