To deliberately refuse to offer help or rescue to someone in distress or mortal danger; to leave someone in the lurch.
看到小猫被困在树上，他没有见死不救，而是找来梯子把它救了下来。
Seeing the kitten trapped in the tree, he didn't abandon it to its fate but found a ladder and rescued it.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius traveled with his disciples through various states. While in the State of Cai, Confucius lectured his disciples on benevolence and acting bravely for a just cause. He found Zai Yu sleeping in class and woke him up.
Zai Yu asked Confucius, "If someone falls into a well, is it benevolent and courageous to jump in and die trying to save them? Or is it unbenevolent 'to see someone die and not save them' if one doesn't jump?" Confucius replied that one could use other methods to save them.
Next Idiom