走钢丝 (zǒu gāng sī) — to walk a tightrope (literal); to tread a fine line; to handle a risky or delicate situation
Definition
A vivid metaphor for 'walking a tightrope' — both the literal circus act and, more commonly, navigating a risky or delicate situation where one wrong move causes trouble.
verb
to walk a tightrope (literal)to tread a fine lineto handle a risky or delicate situation
Examples
- 走钢丝，。Zá jì yǎn yuán zài wǔ tái shàng zǒu gāng sī, guān zhòng dōu bǐng zhù le hū xī.The acrobat walked the tightrope on stage, and the audience held their breath.
- 走钢丝，，。Tā zài gōng sī gǎi gé zhōng zǒu gāng sī, jì yào tí gāo xiào lǜ, yòu bù néng dé zuì lǎo yuán gōng.He is walking a tightrope in the company reform — he needs to improve efficiency without offending senior employees.
- ，。Wǒ zǒu guò yí cì gāng sī, nà gǎn jué tài cì jī le.I walked the tightrope once — it was such a thrilling feeling.
Appears in
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