A distant solution or slow method cannot solve an immediate and urgent problem.
公司的现金流已经很紧张，指望下个月才到的订单款项，简直是远水不救近火。
The company's cash flow is already very tight; hoping for order payments that will only arrive next month is like distant water that cannot extinguish a nearby fire.
Era:
Ancient
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Story:
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.
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