“袖手旁观”常见的英语表述有：“stand by”、“look on with folded arms” 、“watch from the sidelines” 。
“stand by”
有“站在一旁；支持；袖手旁观”的意思。例如：“Don't just stand by when others are in trouble.”（当别人有困难时别只是袖手旁观。）
“look on with folded arms”
字面上意思是“双臂交叉着观看”，形象地表达了袖手旁观的姿态。比如：“He looked on with folded arms while his friend was being bullied.”（他朋友被欺负时他袖手旁观。）
“watch from the sidelines”
意思是“从旁边观看”，也能表示袖手旁观。“You can't just watch from the sidelines when there's a problem.”（有问题时你不能袖手旁观。）这些表达都可以用来形容“袖手旁观”的意思，具体使用哪个可以根据语境和表达需要来决定。
