rob the owner while his house is on fire

rob the owner while his house is on fire

Robbing while the fire is burning is a Chinese idiom. Its pinyin is ch è nhu ǒ Qi ǎ ngji é, which means to take advantage of others' nervousness to seek personal gain or harm others. It comes from shangru village.

The origin of Idioms

Guo Moruo's shangru Village: "the soldiers are coming. If they have money, they will invite the Red Cross Society of outsiders to stick a protective seal. If they have no money, they will take advantage of the fire to rob."

Analysis of Idioms

Take advantage of the fire

Idiom usage

It's formal; it's predicate and object; it's derogatory. You can't rob while the fire is burning. It's a crime.