隔岸观火 gé àn guān huǒ

to watch the fires burning across the river

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 51924th word

Definitions

  1. 1. to watch the fires burning across the river
  2. 2. to delay entering the fray until all others have been exhausted by fighting amongst themselves (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
隔 gé HSK 5
to separate; at a distance from; after or at an interval of
岸 àn HSK 5
shore; bank; coast
观 guān HSK 4
point of view; concept; to watch
火 huǒ HSK 2
fire; hot (popular); fiery or flaming