The phrase "袖手旁观" is formed by vividly painting a miniature scene of passive indifference: it first depicts a person tucking their hands into their wide sleeves ("袖手"), a classical posture of inaction, and then frames this inactive figure as merely "standing by and watching" ("旁观") an event unfold, thus visually combining two stages of non-participation into a single, powerful metaphor for choosing not to get involved while others face difficulty.