There was once a man called Ch'ih Chung-yu who made his home near the city walls. One day a fire suddenly erupted. The dry weather conditions coupled with a strong wind caused the fire to spread quickly. Within moments the thick, billowing smoke clouded the air, while the flames roared skyward. The fire spread beyond the city walls, engulfing Ch'ih's home and reducing it to ashes. The unfortunate Ch'ih was trapped by the flames and was burned to death.
The Chinese have a saying which says, "When the city walls burn, the fire will reach Ch'ih Chung-yu." The underlying meaning has been used by later generations as a metaphor to describe those people who are made scapegoats, or suffer from the misfortune of others.
(Gerald Hatherly)