城门失火，殃及池鱼 — “When the city gate catches fire”

城门失火，殃及池鱼 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “When the city gate catches fire”. The fish in the moat suffer. This idiom refers to innocent bystanders suffering or being implicated in a disturbance or disaster that doesn't directly concern them, or that one's misfortune can indirectly affect others. Literally, “The city gate catches fire, and the fish in the moat suffer”.

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城门失火，殃及池鱼 Pronunciation and Pinyin

城门失火，殃及池鱼 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
城	chéng	9	city or fortified wall
门	mén	3	door, gate, entrance
失	shī	5	lose, miss, or fail
火	huǒ	4	fire, urgent, popular
，	，	—
殃	yāng	9	suffer harm or misfortune
及	jí	4	reach, and, in time
池	chí	6	pond, pool, or pit
鱼	yú	8	aquatic vertebrate with gills and fins

Example Sentence with 城门失火，殃及池鱼

由于公司高层变动，项目组的许多计划都被搁置了，真是城门失火，殃及池鱼啊。

Many plans for the project team were put on hold due to changes in the company's senior management; it truly is a case of 'when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer'.

Origin and Story of 城门失火，殃及池鱼

In ancient times, a fire broke out in the gate tower of a city. Not far away, the fish in the moat watched.

"What's happening?" the fish asked. "The city gate is on fire," one fish replied. "It would be good if someone could save it."

"Why bother? It's none of your business. Let's just watch the show; we're in the water, so we won't get burned. Look, haha..."

"Isn't it wrong to gloat like that?" "What's wrong with it?"

Before it finished speaking, a group of soldiers came to draw water from the moat to extinguish the fire. As a result, all the water was carried away, leaving only a small amount of muddy and dirty water.

The fish suffered terribly. One fish said, "You selfish fellow, are you still happy now?"

"How unlucky! When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer."