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危在旦夕 (wēi zài dàn xī) — in imminent danger; on the verge of death or disaster

Definition

Literally 'danger at dawn and dusk', this idiom means a crisis so urgent it could end within hours — used for nations, companies, or lives on the brink of collapse or death.

idiom
in imminent dangeron the verge of death or disaster

Examples

  • 危在旦夕，。
    Bìng rén de shēng mìng wēi zài dàn xī, yī shēng zhèng zài quán lì qiǎng jiù.
    The patient's life is in imminent danger; the doctors are doing everything they can to save him.
  • 危在旦夕，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī wēi zài dàn xī, rú guǒ bù mǎ shàng róng zī jiù huì dǎo bì.
    This company is on the verge of collapse; if it doesn't get funding right away it will go bankrupt.
  • 危在旦夕，。
    Nà shí guó jiā wēi zài dàn xī, quán guó rén mín tuán jié yí zhì.
    At that time the country was in imminent danger, and the whole nation united as one.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

  • 厃厃wěiperson on a cliff or mountain
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

危 is built from 厃, showing a person on a cliff or mountain, and 卩, showing a kneeling person.

Open 危 →

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

The early form of 在 used 才 for its sound; a second sound part 士 was added later, and that 士 became the 土 seen in 在.

Open 在 →

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
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng旦dàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

旦 combines 日 (sun/day) with 丁 as a sound part; the story about the sun rising over a line is not the original explanation.

Open 旦 →

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

夕 was drawn as a crescent moon.

Open 夕 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSafety & Danger

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