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.
Chinese PinYin : chèn huǒ qiǎng jié
rob the owner while his house is on fire
peach and plum trees vie with one another in the splendor of their blossoms. táo lǐ zhēng yán