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隔岸观火

gé àn guān huǒdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to watch the fires burning across the river / to delay entering the fray until all others have been exhausted by fighting amongst themselves (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-6092e938304f80b3. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

隔岸觀火 隔岸观火 [ge2 an4 guan1 huo3] /to watch the fires burning across the river/to delay entering the fray until all others have been exhausted by fighting amongst themselves (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 隔岸觀火

  • 隔
    gé

    to separate / to partition / to stand or lie between / at a distance from / after or at an interval of

  • 岸
    àn

    bank / shore / beach / coast

  • 观
    guān

    to look at / to watch / to observe / to behold / to advise / concept / point of view / outlook

    guàn

    Taoist monastery / palace gate watchtower / platform

    Guàn

    surname Guan

  • 火
    huǒ

    fire / urgent / ammunition / fiery or flaming / internal heat (Chinese medicine) / hot (popular) / classifier for military units (old) / Kangxi radical 86

    Huǒ

    surname Huo

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.