On the firing line? 身处前线

Reader question:文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

Please explain "on the firing line" in this sentence: "Easy for them to talk because they're not on the firing line as we are."文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

My comments:文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

This is a gripe against those who don't sympathize with the speaker's plight - hardship at work from day to day or some other difficulty.文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

Perhaps "they" either don't understand what the speaker's group ("we") are going through on a daily basis or they are just people who don't have any empathy. This means if they don't share the same lifestyle with us, they don't understand what we are going through in life.文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

For example, an army general may not understand why soldiers have so much to complain about because he stays in the safety of his directing room, perhaps in the bunker, all the time. He, therefore, does not understand what soldiers are afraid of.文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

Well, to come back to the phrase in question, soldiers fear bullets and death.文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

"On the firing line", you see, originally refers to the front line of soldiers whose job is to open fire against the enemy. While they're firing shots at the enemy, soldiers behind them get to lay down low and therefore not expose themselves to enemy gunfire. After the squad on the firing line run out bullets, another line of soldiers step up to take their place. Now these men are on the firing line, firing shots at the enemy while also being exposed to enemy gunfire.文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html

This expression clearly originates from the battlefield, from battles in the old days, when long rifles were in use. Anyways, to be on the firing line is to be on the frontline, to be exposed to danger directly without any protection. It's like healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients today, for example, without face masks, gloves and other protective gear.文章源自多老师网-http://www.duolaoshi.cn/272.html