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qiān 千 jūn 钧 yī 一 fà 发

千钧一发 qiān jūn yī fà

hanging by a thread; at a critical moment

Literally: thousand jun one hair

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Origin

From the Han Shu: Mei Sheng warned the Prince of Wu that his situation was like a thousand-jun weight hanging by a single hair.

How to use it

Attributive or predicate; neutral, dramatic. Often 千钧一发之际/的时刻.

Example sentences

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  1. 在千钧一发之际，消防员冲进火场救出了孩子。
    Zài qiān jūn yī fà zhī jì, xiāofángyuán chōngjìn huǒchǎng jiùchū le háizi.
    At the critical moment, firefighters rushed into the blaze and rescued the child.
    at thousand jun one hair (particle) moment, firefighter rush-into fire-scene rescue-out (particle) child
  2. 飞行员在千钧一发的时刻成功迫降，全体乘客安然无恙。
    Fēixíngyuán zài qiān jūn yī fà de shíkè chénggōng pòjiàng, quántǐ chéngkè ānrán wúyàng.
    The pilot made a successful emergency landing at the last possible moment, and all passengers were unharmed.
    pilot at thousand jun one hair (particle) moment successfully force-land, all passengers safe unharmed

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