如履薄冰 (rú lǚ bó bīng) — as if treading on thin ice; to be extremely cautious in a perilous situation

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'as if treading on thin ice' — describes acting with extreme caution in a dangerous or high-stakes situation, where even a small mistake could cause serious harm.

idiom
as if treading on thin iceto be extremely cautious in a perilous situation

Examples

  • 如履薄冰,。
    Tā zài zhè ge zhí wèi shàng rú lǚ bó bīng, yīn wèi rèn hé yí gè cuò wù dōu kě néng dǎo zhì gōng sī pò chǎn.
    He is as if walking on thin ice in this position, because any mistake could cause the company to go bankrupt.
  • 如履薄冰,。
    Liǎng guó guān xì mù qián rú lǚ bó bīng, shuāng fāng dōu bú yuàn cǎi qǔ guò jī xíng dòng.
    Relations between the two countries are currently like walking on thin ice; neither side wants to take extreme actions.
  • 如履薄冰,。
    Tā měi cì kǎo shì dōu gǎn jué rú lǚ bó bīng, shēng pà bù jí gé.
    He feels as if walking on thin ice every time he takes an exam, afraid of failing.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

Early 履 put together 眉, 頁 (a person with a prominent head), 止 (foot), and 舟 (a shoe or shoe-shaped boat).

Open 履 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
溥
溥pǔ薄báo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

薄 combines 艹, a grass part, with 溥 as the sound part.

Open 薄 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
冫
仌bīng冰bīng
Same sound today

冰 adds 水 (water) to 冫, the short form of 仌; 冫 gives the sound, and 水 shows the meaning.

Open 冰 →

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