袖手旁观 (xiù shǒu páng guān) — to stand idly by; to look on with folded arms and do nothing (idiom, often disapproving)
Definition
A disapproving idiom meaning to stand by and do nothing while others struggle. Picture literally tucking your hands in your sleeves and watching — you could help, but you choose not to.
phrase
to stand idly byto look on with folded arms and do nothing (idiom, often disapproving)
Examples
- ，袖手旁观。Miàn duì péng you yù dào kùn nan, wǒ men bù néng xiù shǒu páng guān.When friends face difficulties, we can't just stand by and do nothing.
- 袖手旁观，。Tā zhàn zài yì páng xiù shǒu páng guān, shén me yě bú zuò.He stood on the sidelines with folded arms and did nothing at all.
- 袖手旁观，。Rú guǒ wǒ men dōu xiù shǒu páng guān, zhè ge wèn tí jiù yǒng yuǎn jiě jué bù liǎo.If we all just look on without lifting a finger, this problem will never be solved.
Appears in
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