Chinese idiom · 成语
曲突徙薪
Meaning
To bend the chimney and move firewood; to prevent danger.
Character by character
Origin and story
Political fableIn the Hanshu (漢書), volume 68, a petition uses a house-fire story to argue that preventive advice deserves recognition. A visitor notices a straight chimney and firewood piled nearby. He recommends bending the chimney and moving the wood away, but the owner does nothing. A fire later breaks out; neighbors save the house, and the owner hosts a feast to thank them.
The people burned while fighting the fire receive the places of honor, while the original adviser is forgotten. Someone points out that following his advice would have prevented both the disaster and the expense. The owner then invites him too. The petition applies this lesson to Xu Fu’s ignored warnings about the Huo family: preventing a crisis can be more valuable than dramatically responding to it.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
定期备份文件是曲突徙薪，总比电脑坏了以后再着急好。
Backing up files regularly is preventive action—better than panicking after the computer breaks.
A literary way to emphasize prevention; the source also cautions against overlooking those who avert problems.