To bend the chimney pipe and remove the firewood
突 = 烟囱 (yāncōng, chimney)
徙 = 迁移 (qiānyí, to move)
To take preventative measures to prevent a disaster
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那家公司财务有问题了，我警告大家曲突徙薪，赶紧把该公司股票拋售掉 | Nà jiā gōngsī cáiwù yǒu wèntí le, wǒ jǐnggào dàjiā qūtūxǐxīn, gǎnjǐn bǎ gāi gōngsī gǔpiào pāoshòu diào
That company's finances are in trouble. I recommend that everyone take preventative action now and sell their shares at once
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他们的关系网的确给出了一些警告信号，但并不足以使他们曲突徙薪 | Tāmen de guānxìwǎng díquè gěi chū le yīxiē jǐnggào xìnhào, dàn bìng bù zúyǐ shǐ tāmen qūtūxǐxīn
Their network of connections did in fact raise some warning signs, but it wasn't enough for them to take preventative measures
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《汉书》(Hàn Shū), a work documenting the history of the Western Han dynasty (西汉, Xī Hàn, 206 BC - 8 AD). It was written by 班固 (Bān Gù), and is generally known in English as the "Book of Han" or the "History of the Former Han."
It is said that once there was a house guest who noticed that his host's chimney was straight and that a great deal of firewood lay next to it. The guest said to his host, "Build a twisting chimney, and move that firewood far away. Otherwise, a fire will break out." The host did not reply.
Not long after, the host's house did catch fire. The neighbors came to help the owner, and fortunately, they were able extinguish the flames. As a sign of gratitude, the owner held a feast for his neighbors. Those who were injured by the fire were given the most important seats, while the others were seated in order of how hard they'd worked. However, the guest who'd suggested preventative measures was nowhere to be seen.
People said to the host, "If you'd listened to your guest in the first place, there wouldn't even be a need for this feast, since there wouldn't have been a fire. Right now you're discussing how people helped during the fire and are inviting guests. Why didn't he get recognized when those who were injured are in the seats of honor?" The host realized the error of his ways and invited the person who had made the suggestions