Chinese Wisdom Stories · Volume 1 · Story guide

曲突徙薪Prevent the Fire Before It Starts

qū tū xǐ xīn

HSK4+成语故事

A guest sees a straight chimney next to a pile of firewood and warns the owner: change the chimney, move the wood. The owner finds it too troublesome — until the fire comes.

Where this story comes from

《汉书·霍光传》

Book of Han, biography of Huo Guang (quoted anecdote)

The story

一个人家的烟囱是直的,旁边堆着柴火。客人提醒他:把烟囱改弯,把柴火搬远,免得失火。主人嫌麻烦,没有听。后来家里真的失火,邻居们赶来帮忙。火灭之后,主人设宴感谢救火的人,却一直没有想起最早提醒他的那位客人。

What the idiom means

曲突徙薪(qū tū xǐ xīn)比喻在危险发生之前就采取措施,防患于未然;也提醒人们,提出预防建议的人比救火的人更值得感谢。

Bend the chimney and move the firewood — prevent danger before it happens; the one who warns you is worth more than the one who helps after the fire.

How to use it

与其等出了问题再补救,不如曲突徙薪,提前把风险控制住。

yǔ qí děng chū le wèn tí zài bǔ jiù , bù rú qū tū xǐ xīn , tí qián bǎ fēng xiǎn kòng zhì zhù 。

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Part of the Chinese Wisdom Stories series