只是我们刚好路过 见到藏书阁走水了
“We were just passing by. We saw the library was on fire.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
奴才冤枉啊
“I am innocent!”
只 是我 们 刚好路过 见到藏书阁 走水了
“We were just passing by. We saw the library was on fire.”
这才去救火的呀
“So we went to put it out!”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
In imperial China, fire was associated with bad omens, leading people to use the euphemism 'water is running' (走水) instead of directly uttering 'fire' (火).
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
just happened to pass by
A common alibi or excuse used to emphasize that one's presence was entirely coincidental.
to catch fire (archaic euphemism)
A traditional euphemism for a fire outbreak commonly found in costume and historical dramas.
Marks the sudden emergence of a new situation or event (the fire outbreak).
