祸起萧墙 Disaster originates within the walls
Explanation
指内部发生祸乱。比喻内部发生矛盾，导致灾祸。
Internal strife; metaphor for internal conflicts leading to disaster.
Origin Story
春秋时期，鲁国国君季孙氏想攻打颛臾，但他的两个谋士冉有和子路都觉得时机不对，他们认为鲁国内部矛盾重重，如果贸然出兵，恐怕会“祸起萧墙”。冉有和子路都是孔子的学生，于是他们去向孔子请教。孔子说：“我担心季孙氏的忧虑，不在颛臾，而在萧墙之内啊！”这句话的意思是说，鲁国内部的矛盾才是最大的威胁，如果处理不好，可能会导致更大的灾祸。果然，季孙氏后来因为内乱而衰败，应验了孔子的话。
During the Spring and Autumn period, the ruler of the state of Lu, Ji Sun, planned to attack Zhuanyu. However, his two advisors, Ran You and Zi Lu, felt that the timing was inappropriate. They argued that there were serious internal conflicts within the state of Lu, and that if they rashly went to war, it might lead to internal strife. Ran You and Zi Lu were both students of Confucius, so they went to ask Confucius for advice. Confucius said: "I fear that Ji Sun's worries are not in Zhuanyu, but within the walls of his own house!" This meant that the internal conflicts in Lu were the greatest threat, and that if not properly handled, they could lead to greater disaster. Indeed, Ji Sun's power later declined due to internal strife, verifying Confucius's words.
Usage
常用来形容内部矛盾导致灾祸的现象。
Often used to describe the phenomenon of internal conflicts leading to disaster.
Examples
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他因为这次失败，把责任都推到了同事身上，简直是祸起萧墙。
ta yīn wèi zhè cì shībài, bǎ zérèn dōu tuī dào le tóngshì shēn shang, jiǎnzhí shì huò qǐ xiāo qiáng.
He blamed his colleagues for the failure, which was a clear case of '禍起蕭牆'.
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公司内部矛盾重重，已经到了祸起萧墙的地步了。
gōngsī nèibù máodùn chóngchóng, yǐjīng dào le huò qǐ xiāo qiáng de dìbù le.
Internal contradictions within the company have reached the point of '禍起蕭牆'.
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这次家庭纠纷，最终导致了祸起萧墙的悲剧。
zhè cì jiātíng jiūfēn, zuìzhōng dǎozhì le huò qǐ xiāo qiáng de bēijù。
This family conflict eventually led to the tragic consequence of '禍起蕭牆'.