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大难临头 (dà nàn lín tóu) — (idiom) to be faced with imminent catastrophe; a great disaster is about to happen

Definition

Idiom meaning a great disaster is about to strike — used to describe imminent catastrophe, not a general problem. The pattern 大难临头之际 highlights the exact moment right before disaster hits.

idiom
to be faced with imminent catastrophea great disaster is about to happen

Examples

  • 大难临头，。
    Xiàn zài dà nàn lín tóu, dà jiā bì xū tuán jié qǐ lái.
    Now a great disaster is about to happen; everyone must unite.
  • 大难临头，。
    Tā hái bù zhī dào yǐ jīng dà nàn lín tóu, yī jiù yōu xián.
    He still doesn't know that catastrophe is imminent; he remains relaxed.
  • 大难临头，。
    dà nàn lín tóu Zhī jì, tā dì yī gè xiǎng dào le jiā rén.
    At the moment when disaster was about to strike, he thought of family first.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

大难great disaster
大dàgreat难nándisaster
偏正Modifier + head
临头descend on the head
临líndescend头tóuhead
动宾Verb + object

The image of a “大难” (great disaster) “临头” (descending on the head) gives imminent catastrophe.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臨; 临 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 臨, 人 is a person, 臣 is an eye, and 品 is objects, showing a person looking down at objects.

Open 临 →

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSafety & Danger

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