huǒ zhōng qǔ lì

[Interpretation] Stealing chestnuts roasted in the fire. It is a metaphor for taking the risk of doing something for someone else; one is fooled; but one gets nothing out of it.

[Etymology] The story can be found in the fable "The Monkey and the Cat" by La Fontaine, a French allegorical poet in the 17th century.

[Pronunciation] Chestnut; not pronounced "sù".

[Identify] Chestnut; cannot be written as "corn".

[Near Meaning] Suffering on behalf of others, marrying for others

[Antonyms] Sitting and enjoying

[Usage] Used as a metaphor for being taken advantage of, or taking a risk without getting a benefit. Generally used as predicate and determiner.

[Structure] Formal.

[Example sentence] Criminals get rich by smuggling drugs; it is purely ~; in the end, they can only fall into the net of justice.

[English translation] be a cat's paw