曲突徙薪(곡돌사신)

굴뚝을 구부리고 땔나무를 옮기다.
굴뚝을 구부려 불길이 바로 새어 나오지 않게 하고, 굴뚝 옆에 있는 땔나무를 옮겨 불이 붙지 않게 하다.
화근을 미리 치워 재앙을 미연에 방지하다.
어느 집에 들어 신세를 지게 된 나그네가 우연히 방밖을 내다보다가 그 집의 굴뚝이 너무 곧게 세워져 있어 불길이 새어 나오고, 게다가 굴뚝 옆에는 땔나무가 잔뜩 쌓여 불이 옮겨 붙을 위험이 있다고 생각되어 주인에게 얼른 굴뚝을 구부리고 땔나무도 멀리 옮겨 놓으라고 충고를 하나, 주인은 나그네의 말을 귀담아 듣지 않고 있다가 아니나 다를까 며칠 뒤 그 집에 화재가 발생하여 마을에 사는 사람이 모여들어 불을 끄고 주인을 구하자 주인은 자기의 생명을 구한  이웃사람의 노고에 대한 보답으로 잔치를 베풀면서 불을 끌 때에 수고한 정도에 따라 손님의 좌석을 차례로 배치하고, 처음 굴뚝을 구부리고 땔나무를 옮겨 화재를 미연에 방지하라고 권한 나그네는 모른 체한 고사에서 유래한다.
bend the chimney and move the firewood away from it
take preventive measures
take precautions to prevent trouble from happening
 
班固(東漢) 《漢書 霍光傳》 臣聞客有過主人者，見其灶直突，傍有積薪。客謂主人，更為曲突，遠徙其薪，不者且有火患。主人嘿然不應。俄而家果失火，鄰里共救之，幸而得息。於是殺牛置酒，謝其鄰人，灼爛者在於上行，餘各以功次坐，而不錄言曲突者。人謂主人曰： "鄉使聽客之言，不費牛酒，終亡火患。今論功而請賓，曲突徙薪亡恩澤，焦頭爛額為上客耶？" 主人乃寤而請之。

반고(동한) 《한서 곽광전》 신견객유과주인자，견기조직돌，방유적신。객위주인，경위곡돌，원사기신；부자，차유화환。주인묵연불응。아이，가과실화，인리공구지，행이득식。우시살우치주，사기린인，작란자재우상행，여각이공차좌，이불록언곡돌자。인위주인왈： "향사은객지언，불비우주，종망화환。금론공이청빈，곡돌사신망은택，초두란액위상객야？" 주인내오이청지。
I heard that there was once a guest visiting a homeowner, and he observed that his stove was equipped with a straight chimney, and there was firewood piled up next to it. The guest told the owner, "Replace your chimney with a crooked one and move the firewood far away from it. Otherwise, there will be fire risk." But the owner ignored him. Soon his house was really on fire, and his neighbours went to put out fire together. Fortunately, they were able to put it out. The homeowner then slaughtered cows and prepared wine to thank his neighbours. Those who were burnt were arranged to sit at the front, and the others sat according to their contributions. However, he did not invite the person that told him to modify the chimney. Someone then said to him, "If you had listened to what your guest said, you would have eliminated fire without beef and wine. Now you are inviting people according to their contributions, then how can you forget the mercy of the person that told you to replace the chimney with a crooked one and move firewood away, but let those people got burnt seriously be the important guests?" The homeowner realized that and invited him.