TongTong
Sign in

鬼门关 (guǐ mén guān) — (literally) gate of hell (in Chinese mythology); (figurative) extremely dangerous situation; a brush with death

Definition

A vivid idiom for a life-threatening moment or place — literally 'gate of hell.' Used figuratively to describe a brush with death, a dangerous pass, or a critical ordeal.

noun
(literally) gate of hell (in Chinese mythology)(figurative) extremely dangerous situationa brush with death
Measure word · 道

Examples

  • ，鬼门关。
    Tā huàn le zhòng bìng, chà diǎn r guò le guǐ mén guān.
    He fell seriously ill and nearly passed through the gate of hell.
  • 鬼门关。
    Nà cì shǒu shù jiù xiàng shì chuǎng le yí cì guǐ mén guān.
    That surgery was like passing through the gate of hell.
  • ，鬼门关。
    Zhè duàn shān lù xiǎn jùn, bèi chēng wéi dāng dì de guǐ mén guān.
    This stretch of mountain road is treacherous and is called the local gate of hell.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

鬼门ghost gate
鬼guǐghost门méngate
偏正Modifier + head
关guānpass

鬼门 names the gate of ghosts, and 关 marks it as a barrier or pass.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →
Appears in
Mythology & FolkloreSafety & Danger

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.