危机 (wēi jī) is a noun meaning 'crisis' — a critical moment of danger that demands action, often used for economic, political, or social upheavals. It contrasts with 危险 (wēi xiǎn), which simply means general 'danger', and with figurative terms like 风暴 (fēng bào) or 风波 (fēng bō). 危机 carries the nuance of a turning point (危 'danger' + 机 'opportunity').