DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

隔岸觀火

简隔岸观火 · 繁隔岸觀火

Mandarin · pinyin gé àn guān huǒ

to watch the fires burning across the river
to delay entering the fray until all others have been exhausted by fighting amongst themselves (idiom)

Characters in this entry

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

2–4–1–3 · ge2 an4 guan1 huo3

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

gaak3 ngon6 gun1 fo2

Cantonese word readings for 隔岸觀火. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

gaak3 ngon6 gun1 fo2

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

(figurative) to delay entering the fray until all others have been exhausted by fighting amongst themselves