坐观成败 — “To remain on the sidelines”
坐观成败 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to remain on the sidelines”. Observing the outcome of a situation or others' efforts, waiting to see whether they succeed or fail, often without participating or offering help. Literally, “Sit and watch success or failure”.
坐观成败 Pronunciation and Pinyin
坐观成败 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 坐观成败
Origin and Story of 坐观成败
In his later years, Emperor Wu of Han suspected some people were plotting against him and dispatched Jiang Chong to investigate.
Jiang Chong seized the opportunity to eliminate his rivals and then pointed the finger at Crown Prince Liu Ju. Unable to bear it any longer, Liu Ju killed Jiang Chong.
Emperor Wu then sent troops to apprehend Liu Ju. Liu Ju sought help from Ren An.
Ren An feigned agreement but did not deploy troops. When Emperor Wu learned of this, he accused Ren An of 'sitting by and watching success or failure' (坐观成败), implying disloyalty, and had him punished.
Idioms Related to 坐观成败
Synonyms of 坐观成败
More idioms starting with 坐
- zuò坐shàng上qín琴xīn心man's deep love for a woman
- zuò坐bù不chuí垂táng堂avoid dangerous places or situations
- zuò坐bù不ān安xí席too anxious to sit still
- zuò坐bù不kuī窥táng堂sit properly without looking around
- zuò坐bù不chóng重xí席live a frugal and simple life
- zuò坐yú于tú涂tàn炭to be in a wretched and filthy state
- zuò坐jǐng井kuī窥tiān天to have a very limited outlook
- zuò坐jǐng井guān观tiān天have a limited outlook
- zuò坐xiǎng享qí其gōng功enjoy others' hard work
- zuò坐xiǎng享qí其chéng成enjoy others' achievements without effort
- zuò坐yǐ以dài待wáng亡sit idly and await doom
- zuò坐yǐ以dài待dàn旦sit awaiting daybreak diligently
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Open the tool →Questions about 坐观成败
What does 坐观成败 mean?
坐观成败 (zuò guān chéng bài) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to remain on the sidelines”.
How do you pronounce 坐观成败?
坐观成败 is pronounced zuò guān chéng bài in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 坐观成败 literally mean?
Literally, 坐观成败 means “Sit and watch success or failure”. It is used to mean “to remain on the sidelines”.
Where does 坐观成败 come from?
坐观成败 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 坐观成败?
冷眼旁观人家的成功或失败。