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遇险 (yù xiǎn) — to encounter danger, to get into difficulties

Definition

遇险 (yù xiǎn) means to encounter danger or get into a life-threatening situation, usually in an accident, disaster, or rescue context. Unlike 遇难, it does NOT mean to die — the person is in danger but may survive.

verb
to encounter dangerto get into difficulties

Examples

  • 遇险，。
    Tā men zài dēng shān tú zhōng yù xiǎn le, xìng hǎo jí shí dé dào jiù yuán.
    They encountered danger while climbing, luckily they received rescue in time.
  • ，遇险。
    Chuán zhǎng fā chū xìn hào, biǎo shì chuán zhī yǐ jīng yù xiǎn.
    The captain sent a signal indicating the ship had encountered danger.
  • 遇险，。
    Zhè cì tàn xiǎn duì yuán men dōu méi yǒu yù xiǎn, ān quán fǎn huí le yíng dì.
    This time the expedition members encountered no danger and returned safely to camp.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

遇yùmeet
险xiǎndanger

遇 “meet” and 险 “danger” combine to mean meeting danger or getting into trouble.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú遇yù
Same sound today

遇 combines 辶, a walking-related part, with 禺, which gives the sound. The 辶 part shows that the meaning involves walking or moving.

Open 遇 →

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 險; 险 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān險
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 險 pairs 阝, written in full as 阜, with 僉, which gives the sound; the simplified 险 is a shorthand.

Open 险 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Safety & Danger

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