该句使用过去时态描述突发事件的发生。
A guest visited someone’s home and noticed that the stove’s chimney was built straight, with a large pile of firewood stored nearby. The guest advised the homeowner to bend the chimney and move the firewood away, warning that a fire might occur in the future. However, the owner paid no attention and took no action. Not long after, a fire broke out in the house. Neighbors rushed to help extinguish the flames, and the fire was eventually put out. To thank everyone for their help, the owner slaughtered sheep and oxen to host a feast for the neighbors, yet he did not invite the person who had originally given the warning. Someone questioned this and said to the owner: “If you had listened to that man’s advice, there would have been no fire today and no need for such trouble. Now, the people who helped put out the fire are being rewarded, while the one who gave preventive advice is not appreciated. This is truly strange.” The owner then realized his mistake and immediately invited the earlier advisor to the banquet. Moral: Prevention is better than cure; taking precautions before disaster strikes is far more valuable than repairing the damage afterward.
有一位客人到别人家做客，看到主人家的灶台烟囱是直的，旁边还堆放着许多木材。客人提醒主人说，烟囱最好改成弯曲的，木材也应当移走，否则日后可能发生火灾。但主人并没有在意，也没有采取任何行动。不久之后，主人家果然发生了火灾，四周邻居纷纷赶来救火，最终火势被扑灭。为了感谢邻居们的帮助，主人宰羊杀牛宴请四方，却唯独没有邀请当初提出建议的那位客人。有人对此感到不解，对主人说：“如果当初听从那位先生的建议，今天就不会发生火灾，也不需要如此大费周章。现在论功行赏，提出预防建议的人却没有得到感谢，而救火的人反而成了座上宾，这实在令人奇怪。”主人听后顿时醒悟，连忙邀请当初提出建议的客人前来赴宴。寓意：预防胜于治疗，在灾祸发生之前做好防范，比事后补救更为重要。