CYChengyu Dictionary

Chengyu meaning

城门失火 (chéng mén shī huǒ)

nearby trouble harms innocent bystanders

Plain Answer

Source: City gate fire and pond fish saying tradition. Treated here as classical story; read it first as a sentence-level judgment.

Core meaning: 城门失火 means nearby trouble harms innocent bystanders: Used for collateral damage: a conflict or problem in one place spreads harm to people nearby who were not the main target.

Practice this meaningRead the story
Label
negative / written and reflective Chinese
Best objects
business collateral harm, workplace conflict, meaning boundary
Do not use when
Do not use 城门失火 for a scene that only shares one surface word with the meaning. If the problem is closer to 唇亡齿寒 or the contrast points toward 胸有成竹, choose that nearby entry instead of stretching this one.

Use: Use 城门失火 when the business collateral harm sentence shows the object, cause, and tone clearly. Avoid: Avoid 城门失火 when the sentence only sounds related, lacks evidence, or needs a plainer word.

business collateral harm两家公司打价格战，小供应商反而城门失火，池鱼遭殃。Liǎng jiā gōngsī dǎ jiàgézhàn, xiǎo gōngyìngshāng fǎn'ér chéngménshīhuǒ, chíyúzāoyāng.Two companies fought a price war, and small suppliers became the innocent bystanders hurt by the conflict.

Next: Read the examples, then compare 唇亡齿寒 before practicing 城门失火 in the focused quiz.

Often studied with: 唇亡齿寒, 抱薪救火, 因果报应

Read This First

城门失火 is introduced here through a classical story tradition retold for modern learners; the source label is City gate fire and pond fish saying tradition, and the page separates that background from modern sentence choice.

城门失火 means nearby trouble harms innocent bystanders. The important first reading is Used for collateral damage: a conflict or problem in one place spreads harm to people nearby who were not the main target. This is a negative phrase in normal use, so the sentence must show the judgment clearly.

Use 城门失火 when the object, cause, and tone match examples such as business collateral harm, workplace conflict, meaning boundary; then compare 唇亡齿寒 and 抱薪救火 before writing your own sentence.

Avoid 城门失火 when the sentence only shares a broad topic, when the tone would be unfair to the person being described, or when a plainer word would be clearer than a chengyu.

Start with this cue: business collateral harm plus a visible reason.

Meaning and Translation Notes

Used for collateral damage: a conflict or problem in one place spreads harm to people nearby who were not the main target.

Literal meaning

the city gate catches fire

  • 城门 / city gate
  • 失火 / catch fire
  • 池鱼 / pond fish in the fuller saying

English equivalents

  • collateral damage plain

    Best for modern explanation.

  • innocent bystanders get hurt near

    Natural when people are affected.

  • nearby trouble spreads harm plain

    Keeps the spatial logic clear.

How To Use It

Use 城门失火 when the reader can see why nearby trouble harms innocent bystanders is the exact judgment, not just the topic. A strong sentence names the actor, the thing being judged, and the evidence that makes this idiom more precise than an ordinary adjective.

  • Use it when a conflict, policy, or accident harms nearby people who are not the main actors.
  • The fuller saying often includes 池鱼遭殃, so the bystander image should stay visible.
  • It fits business, politics, workplace conflict, family disputes, and community problems.

Common Mistakes

Do not use 城门失火 for a scene that only shares one surface word with the meaning. If the problem is closer to 唇亡齿寒 or the contrast points toward 胸有成竹, choose that nearby entry instead of stretching this one.

  • Do not use it for direct punishment of someone responsible.
  • Do not confuse it with 唇亡齿寒, where the harm comes from interdependence rather than bystander exposure.

Wrong Use Clinic

The most useful check is often the phrase you should reject.

  1. The learner wants to sound more idiomatic but has only a broad topic match for 城门失火.

    The sentence drops in 城门失火 without showing the cause, object, or tone that would make the idiom necessary.

    Fix: Rewrite the sentence so the evidence for nearby trouble harms innocent bystanders appears before or after the phrase.

    城门失火 fails in this case because a chengyu is not decoration; it must name the exact judgment the sentence is making.

    Compare chun wang chi han

  2. The learner wants to say the opposite or a neighboring idea and chooses 城门失火 because it feels familiar.

    The sentence uses 城门失火, but the described situation points to a different cause, time point, or social attitude.

    Fix: Compare the sentence with 胸有成竹 and choose the phrase whose boundary explains the situation with less force.

    城门失火 becomes misleading when the nearby phrase would identify the real problem more cleanly.

    Compare xiong you cheng zhu

  3. The learner has the right meaning area for 城门失火 but ignores register and emotional force.

    The sentence uses 城门失火 directly about a person, yet gives no softening context or evidence for such a warning and sympathetic judgment.

    Fix: Add the observed behavior first, or choose 抱薪救火 if the sentence needs a gentler learning path.

    城门失火 can sound heavier than a short English gloss. The reader needs enough context to see why the tone is fair.

    Compare bao xin jiu huo

  4. The learner remembers the origin image of 城门失火 but applies it to the wrong object.

    The sentence names an image or story detail, but the real object being judged would be better explained by another chengyu.

    Fix: Name the object first. If the object points toward 胸有成竹, use that contrast instead.

    城门失火 should follow the judgment, not the most memorable image. Story memory is useful only when it supports the sentence-level decision.

    Compare xiong you cheng zhu

Chengyu Often Studied Together

Use these clusters to build sentence-level judgment instead of memorizing a single gloss.

  1. 城门失火 with nearby learner choices

    城门失火 is often studied beside 唇亡齿寒 and 抱薪救火 because the words share a theme while asking the learner to judge a different cause, tone, or timing.

    老师先让学生解释城门失火，再比较唇亡齿寒和抱薪救火，这样不会只凭英文近义词选答案。

    chun wang chi hanbao xin jiu huo

  2. 城门失火 with contrast checks

    城门失火 becomes easier to use when it is contrasted with 因果报应 and 胸有成竹; the contrast forces the writer to decide whether the sentence is praise, warning, correction, or neutral description.

    写作练习里先用城门失火造句，再换成因果报应，观察判断方向怎样改变。

    yin guo bao yingxiong you cheng zhuchun wang chi han

  3. 城门失火 in example-building drills

    城门失火 should be practiced with 唇亡齿寒 and 因果报应 because examples reveal whether the learner is choosing by meaning, tone, or only by a remembered image.

    课堂上先用城门失火写一个有证据的句子，再换成唇亡齿寒或因果报应说明判断为什么改变。

    chun wang chi hanyin guo bao yingbao xin jiu huo

  4. 城门失火 in story and source review

    城门失火 links best with 抱薪救火 and 胸有成竹 when the learner is checking whether a source image truly supports a modern sentence.

    复习出处时，不要只背城门失火的故事，还要比较抱薪救火，看哪个成语更能解释现代句子。

    bao xin jiu huoxiong you cheng zhuchun wang chi han

Learner Guide

Use these notes when deciding whether this chengyu fits a real sentence.

Use 城门失火 when bystanders are harmed by a nearby conflict or problem. It can describe workplace politics, market battles, policy spillover, family disputes, or regional conflict.

Collateral damage is concise, but it can sound military or abstract. Innocent bystanders get hurt is clearer when people are the focus. Nearby trouble spreads harm keeps the spatial logic of the saying.

Do not use it for direct consequences of one's own action. 因果报应 may be closer when the result returns to the actor. 城门失火 usually protects the innocence or distance of the affected party.

A strong sentence should name the fire and the fish. Who is fighting or failing? Who nearby suffers? When both sides are visible, the idiom becomes a useful explanation of spillover harm.

Before using 城门失火, write the plain English idea first. If the plain sentence already says everything naturally, the chengyu must add a sharper judgment, cultural image, or tone. If it does not add one of those, leave the plain wording alone.

A good 城门失火 sentence contains an object and evidence. The object is the person, plan, habit, result, or scene being judged. The evidence is the reason the phrase fits. Without both parts, the idiom may look learned but feel empty.

Compare 城门失火 with 唇亡齿寒 and 胸有成竹 before finalizing a sentence. The goal is not to memorize synonyms; the goal is to reject the wrong phrase for a clear reason. That rejection is what turns recognition into usable knowledge.

When teaching or self-reviewing 城门失火, ask the learner to mark source, meaning, use case, wrong case, and one example. If any mark is missing, return to the entry section that supplies it rather than guessing from the headword alone.

business collateral harm is the first test zone for 城门失火, but it is not the only possible use. Before using the phrase, name the speaker, the object being judged, and the nearest tested context: business collateral harm, workplace conflict, meaning boundary, usage boundary, misuse boundary, comparison check, context setup, teacher correction. Then choose among collateral damage, innocent bystanders get hurt, nearby trouble spreads harm as translation candidates and reject at least one candidate out loud. A useful final check is to compare the sentence with chun-wang-chi-han and bao-xin-jiu-huo; if one of those nearby entries explains the situation with less strain, the nearby phrase is the better learner choice.

When 城门失火 is translated as collateral damage, the English should still preserve the phrase's tone. Keep warning and sympathetic and the caution use area visible when the audience is still learning the idiom. If a short translation hides the warning "Do not use it for direct punishment of someone responsible.", choose a fuller English explanation instead. This matters because the strongest chengyu pages should help readers decide when not to use the most convenient English equivalent.

Example Sentences

Each example labels the situation so you can choose a natural English translation.

business collateral harm

两家公司打价格战，小供应商反而城门失火，池鱼遭殃。

Liǎng jiā gōngsī dǎ jiàgézhàn, xiǎo gōngyìngshāng fǎn'ér chéngménshīhuǒ, chíyúzāoyāng.

Two companies fought a price war, and small suppliers became the innocent bystanders hurt by the conflict.

workplace conflict

部门之间争执，普通员工最怕城门失火。

Bùmén zhījiān zhēngzhí, pǔtōng yuángōng zuì pà chéngménshīhuǒ.

When departments fight, ordinary employees fear getting caught in the collateral damage.

meaning boundary

城门失火说的是波及无辜，不是双方互相依靠。

Chéngménshīhuǒ shuō de shì bōjí wúgū, bùshì shuāngfāng hùxiāng yīkào.

This phrase is about innocent parties being affected, not two sides depending on each other.

usage boundary

只有原因和语气都清楚时，这句话才适合用城门失火。

zhi you yuan yin he yu qi dou qing chu shi zhe ju hua cai shi he yong cheng men shi huo

Only use 城门失火 when the cause and tone are both clear, not just because the topic feels nearby.

misuse boundary

如果只是普通情况，不要为了显得有文化而硬说城门失火。

ru guo zhi shi pu tong qing kuang bu yao wei le xian de you wen hua er ying shuo cheng men shi huo

If the situation is ordinary, do not force 城门失火 just to make the sentence sound more cultured.

comparison check

比较近义成语以后，再决定这里是不是应该写城门失火。

bi jiao jin yi cheng yu yi hou zai jue ding zhe li shi bu shi ying gai xie cheng men shi huo

After comparing nearby chengyu, decide whether 城门失火 is really the phrase the sentence needs.

context setup

这段话先说明对象和原因，所以城门失火读起来不突兀。

zhe duan hua xian shuo ming dui xiang he yuan yin suo yi cheng men shi huo du qi lai bu tu wu

The passage names the object and cause first, so 城门失火 does not feel abrupt.

teacher correction

老师让学生先解释为什么不用别的词，再用城门失火造句。

lao shi rang xue sheng xian jie shi wei shen me bu yong bie de ci zai yong cheng men shi huo zao ju

The teacher asks students to explain why another phrase would be wrong before writing a sentence with 城门失火.

Story and Cultural Context

城门失火 usually calls up the fuller saying 城门失火，殃及池鱼. The city gate burns, but the pond fish suffer because people draw water or the surrounding damage reaches them. Modern use is valuable because it names harm that spreads beyond the main actors. English speakers should notice the sympathy built into the phrase. The harmed party may not be guilty; they may simply be close to the conflict. The fuller saying matters because the pond fish are the point. A gate catches fire, but fish suffer because the damage spreads through the environment. Modern use often appears when two powerful sides fight and smaller or unrelated parties are harmed. English speakers should preserve that innocence. The phrase is not about direct responsibility; it is about being close enough to the fire to be affected by it. For this entry, the origin note is only the beginning of the explanation. The useful question is why 城门失火 survived as a portable judgment rather than as a decorative allusion. The classical story route gives the reader an image, but the modern sentence must still prove its own fit. A learner should ask three things: what concrete object is being judged, what evidence in the sentence supports that judgment, and what tone the phrase adds that a plain English adjective would not add. This is why the page tests 城门失火 through business collateral harm, workplace conflict, meaning boundary, usage boundary, misuse boundary; each context changes the pressure on the phrase and shows whether the idiom is acting as praise, warning, neutral description, or criticism. The story or usage background also has a translation boundary. 城门失火 can point toward collateral damage, innocent bystanders get hurt, nearby trouble spreads harm, but those English choices are not interchangeable. One version may preserve the image, another may sound natural in a classroom answer, and another may be safer in a workplace or essay sentence. The entry therefore treats public references as source cards, not as a paragraph order to imitate. Headword checks, story labels, and English equivalents are separated first; only after that are they rebuilt into the learner path used here: answer, label, examples, wrong-use clinic, comparison, story, and practice. The most common failure is overextension. Because 城门失火 has a memorable surface, learners may reach for it whenever a topic feels close. The better habit is to compare it with 唇亡齿寒 and 抱薪救火 and with 胸有成竹 before writing. If the rejected phrase is hard to reject, the sentence probably has not supplied enough evidence. If the rejected phrase is easy to reject, the learner can explain the boundary and use 城门失火 with confidence. That is the practical purpose of the origin section: it turns cultural memory into a sentence-level decision instead of leaving the reader with a story and no next action.

Learning point: A conflict can burn beyond its target and injure people standing nearby.

Open the dedicated story page

Editorial Notes

These notes turn the entry into a decision path, not a loose definition.

First answer before details

城门失火 should first be read as a decision about nearby trouble harms innocent bystanders, not as a collectible story label. The classical story helps memory, but the reader's real task is to decide whether the modern sentence is making a negative judgment with enough evidence. Start with the object being described, then ask what happened, who is being judged, and whether the tone is fair. If those details are missing, the idiom will feel like learned decoration rather than useful Chinese. This first-answer rule also helps teachers and translators: they can explain the phrase quickly before deciding whether a longer story, comparison, or correction block is needed.

Example clinic

The examples for 城门失火 deliberately cover business collateral harm, workplace conflict, meaning boundary, usage boundary, misuse boundary because a learner needs more than one successful sentence before the phrase becomes usable. Read the Chinese sentence, then explain in plain English why this phrase is more precise than a simple adjective or loose translation. A strong example names the context, shows the evidence, and makes the tone visible. A weak example merely places the chengyu near a related topic. This habit prevents a common error: remembering the literal image but forgetting the social judgment carried by the phrase. When the example feels forced, return to the meaning line and choose a plainer wording.

Comparison boundary

Before using 城门失火, compare it with 唇亡齿寒 and 抱薪救火 and, when possible, with 胸有成竹. The comparison is not a synonym game. Nearby chengyu often share effort, caution, wisdom, or evaluation as a topic, while differing in cause, timing, and emotional force. A good learner sentence can explain why the rejected phrase fails. If that explanation is impossible, the chosen idiom is probably too loose. This is also the cleanest internal-link reason: the next page exists because it helps the reader reject a tempting but wrong choice. The comparison should leave a reusable rule, not merely another link to click.

Wrong-use trigger

城门失火 should be rejected when the sentence lacks an object, hides the reason for the judgment, or uses the idiom only because it sounds literary. The safest correction is to rewrite the sentence in plain English first, then add the chengyu only if it sharpens the meaning. If the tone becomes unfair, choose a gentler nearby phrase. If the source image is memorable but the modern object does not match, use the story only as background and do not force the idiom into the sentence. This wrong-use trigger is what keeps the entry from becoming a long but vague dictionary page.

Source synthesis note

城门失火 uses public references as checkpoints rather than as a structure to copy. One source may help with the headword, another with a story or image, and another with English translation range. The page then rebuilds those checks into its own learner order: short answer, label, examples, misuse, collocation, guide, story, and practice. This matters because a single-source paraphrase would give readers a familiar-looking article but not a better learning tool. The editorial value here is the decision path: what to use, what not to use, what to compare, and how to test the phrase in a new sentence.

Practice This Decision

Answer a focused quiz question, then come back to the examples and misuse clinic if the near phrase feels tempting.

Start focused quizReview mistakes first