A long time ago, two neighbors lived side by side.
很久以前，两个邻居住在一起。
One sold cloth, while the other sold rice.
一个是卖布的，另一个是卖米的。
They had a good relationship and often helped each other.
两家人原本关系不错，经常互相帮忙。
One day, a fire broke out at the rice seller’s house.
有一天，卖米的家里发生了火灾。
The flames spread quickly, and thick smoke filled the air.
火势非常大，烟雾弥漫，大家都着急。
The cloth seller, whose house was nearby, saw the fire.
卖布的家也在附近，看到了火灾。
He stood at his door, watching the flames rise.
他站在自己家门口，看着火苗跳动。
Although he was worried, he did not step forward to help.
虽然心里焦急，但他没有过去帮忙。
He thought, "As long as the fire doesn’t reach my house, I’ll be fine."
他想着，反正火并没有烧到自己家，看看就好。
The rice seller, desperate, shouted, "Help me, please!"
卖米的人看到，气得大喊：“快帮帮我啊！”
But the cloth seller just shook his head and kept watching.
但卖布的只是摇摇头，继续站着观望。
The fire grew larger, nearly burning down the entire house.
火越来越大，卖米的家差点被烧光。
The cloth seller kept staring, thinking, "The fire won’t spread to me, right?"
卖布的看着火势，心里却在想：“这火应该不至于烧到我家吧。”
Finally, the fire was put out, but the rice seller lost almost everything.
最终，火终于扑灭了，但卖米家的损失很大。
The cloth seller’s house remained untouched.
卖布的人则安然无恙。
People believed that if the cloth seller had helped, the damage could have been less.
大家都觉得，卖布的当时如果去帮忙，也许不会有这么大的损失。
Angrily, the rice seller said, "You just stood there, watching from afar!"
卖米的人愤怒地说：“你居然只是隔岸观火！”
From then on, people learned that in times of trouble, one should offer help.
从那以后，大家都说，遇到困难时，不能袖手旁观，要伸出援手。
"Watching from afar" means standing by while others suffer, without taking action.
隔岸观火，比喻看到别人遇到困境而自己不出手帮忙。
