临到 (lín dào) — (of an event) to be about to happen; to be on the verge of; (of something bad) to befall; to happen to (someone)
Definition
A formal verb meaning an event is imminent or that something (often bad) befalls someone. Used in writing or set phrases like 临到…才, contrasting with the everyday 快要 for imminence.
verb
(of an event) to be about to happento be on the verge of(of something bad) to befallto happen to (someone)
Examples
- 临到，。lín dào Kǎo shì, tā cái kāi shǐ fù xí.When the exam was about to come, he only then started reviewing.
- 临到。Shuí yě méi xiǎng dào zhè chǎng zāi nàn huì lín dào tā men cūn.No one expected this disaster would befall their village.
- 临到，。lín dào Nián guān, měi jiā měi hù dōu zài zhǔn bèi guò nián.When the year-end is approaching, every family is preparing for the New Year.
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