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急中生智 (jí zhōng-shēng zhì) — to have quick wits in an emergency; to react resourcefully under pressure

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'quick-witted under pressure' — the wit is forced out by a crisis. Compare 灵机一动 (a sudden idea, no crisis needed) and 足智多谋 (generally resourceful, not just in emergencies).

phrase
to have quick wits in an emergencyto react resourcefully under pressure

Examples

  • ，急中生智，。
    Kāi chē shí yù dào tū fā qíng kuàng, tā jí zhōng-shēng zhì, bì miǎn le shì gù.
    When he encountered an unexpected situation while driving, he thought quickly and avoided an accident.
  • ，急中生智，。
    Kǎo shì shí zuì hòu yì tí hěn nán, tā jí zhōng-shēng zhì, zhōng yú xiǎng chū le dá àn.
    The last question on the exam was very hard, but he had quick wits and finally came up with the answer.
  • ，急中生智，。
    Zài tán pàn zhōng, tā jí zhōng-shēng zhì, tí chū le yí gè shuāng fāng dōu néng jiē shòu de fāng àn.
    During the negotiation, he reacted resourcefully and proposed a plan acceptable to both sides.

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.

急中in an emergency
急jíemergency中zhōngin
偏正Modifier + head
生智produce wisdom
生shēngproduce智zhìwisdom
动宾Verb + object

急中 (in an emergency) and 生智 (produce wisdom) combine: wisdom appears when a situation is urgent.

Characters in this word

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí急jí
Same sound today

急 pairs 心 (heart) with 及, which gives the sound.

Open 急 →

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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

The early form 智 used 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to pass knowledge to a child.

Open 智 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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