chéngménshīhuǒyāngjíchíyú
innocent bystanders suffer
- innocent bystanders suffer
- (idiom) Lit. a fire in the city gates is a calamity for the fish in the moat (from which water is drawn to fight the fire); fig. innocent bystanders are dragged into a disaster or suffer due to circumstances beyond their control
- innocent victims of others' misfortune
- the city gate catches fire and the fish in the moat suffer from it; a proverb meaning that innocent bystanders are often harmed by a disaster or conflict that does not concern them