作壁上觀

Chinese

	to regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do to regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do; to make	wall; rampart	up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up	to look at; to watch; to observe to look at; to watch; to observe; to behold; Taoist monastery
trad. (作壁上觀)	作	壁	上	觀
simp. (作壁上观)	作	壁	上	观
Literally: “to sit on the wall and watch”.

Sima Qian, fl. 1st century BCE.

《史記·項羽本紀》 (Records of the Grand Historian, Book VII, the Annals of Xiang Yu):
當是時，楚兵冠諸侯。諸侯軍救鉅鹿下者十餘壁，莫敢縱兵。及楚擊秦，諸將皆從壁上觀。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
当是时，楚兵冠诸侯。诸侯军救钜鹿下者十余壁，莫敢纵兵。及楚击秦，诸将皆从壁上观。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Dāng shì shí, Chǔ bīng guàn zhūhóu. Zhūhóu jūn jiù Jùlù xià zhě shí yú bì, mò gǎn zòng bīng. Jí Chǔ jī Qín, zhū jiàng jiē cóng bì shàng guān. [Pinyin]
At that time, the armies of Chu were the foremost among the warlords. The warlords who descended upon Julu to assist the battle built dozens of fortified camps, and none of them dared to engage (lit. "to unleash their troops"). By the time the Chu forces were attacking the Qin, all those generals were observing the situation from their ramparts.

作壁上觀