远水不救近火 — “Distant water cannot extinguish a nearby fire”
远水不救近火 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a distant solution or slow method cannot solve an immediate and urgent problem”. Literally, “Distant water cannot extinguish a nearby fire”.
远水不救近火 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 远yuǎn
- 水shuǐ
- 不bù
- 救jiù
- 近jìn
- 火huǒ
远水不救近火 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 远水不救近火
Origin and Story of 远水不救近火
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the small state of Lu bordered the powerful state of Qi. Duke Mu of Lu was worried about his own safety and wanted to send his sons to serve as officials in the states of Jin and Chu, hoping to win their favor and protection.
However, his minister Li Ju strongly opposed this idea. He argued that this was "distant water that cannot extinguish a nearby fire."
Jin and Chu were very far from Lu, and if Lu were to be attacked by Qi, these distant states would not be able to provide timely assistance. His point was that a remote solution would be useless for an immediate danger.
Idioms Related to 远水不救近火
Synonyms of 远水不救近火
Antonyms of 远水不救近火
More idioms starting with 远
- yuǎn远bù不jiàn间qīn亲Outsiders don't interfere with close relations
- yuǎn远jǔ举gāo高fēi飞fly far and high to a better future
- yuǎn远jǐng井bù不jiě解jìn近kě渴Distant aid cannot satisfy immediate needs
- yuǎn远jiāo交jìn近gōng攻ally distant, attack near
- yuǎn远qīn亲bù不rú如jìn近lín邻Near neighbors are better than distant relatives
- yuǎn远qīn亲jìn近yǒu友Distant relatives and close friends
- yuǎn远qīn亲jìn近lín邻distant relatives, close neighbors
- yuǎn远tú图zhǎng长lǜ虑plan and consider long-term
- yuǎn远zài在qiān千lǐ里，，jìn近zài在mù目qián前Perception makes things far or near
- yuǎn远zài在tiān天biān边，，jìn近zài在yǎn眼qián前far away yet right before you
- yuǎn远chuí垂bù不xiǔ朽achieve lasting fame
- yuǎn远chù处kuā夸chēng称，，jìn近fāng方mài卖nong弄boast and show off everywhere
Questions about 远水不救近火
- What does 远水不救近火 mean?
- 远水不救近火 (yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a distant solution or slow method cannot solve an immediate and urgent problem”.
- How do you pronounce 远水不救近火?
- 远水不救近火 is pronounced yuǎn shuǐ bù jiù jìn huǒ in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 远水不救近火 literally mean?
- Literally, 远水不救近火 means “Distant water cannot extinguish a nearby fire”. It is used to mean “a distant solution or slow method cannot solve an immediate and urgent problem”.
- Where does 远水不救近火 come from?
- 远水不救近火 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 远水不救近火?
- 远处的水救不了近处的火。比喻慢的办法救不了急。