📖 Meaning
Disaster is about to strike within a very short time. It describes an extremely perilous situation where calamity is imminent and could arrive at any moment.
📜 Origin Story
From the Tang dynasty writer Duan Chengshi's 'Nuogao Ji: Changxu Guo' (Record of the Hall of the Strange: The Long-Beard Kingdom). In the tale, a man drifting at sea is washed ashore at a kingdom called Changxu Guo, where he is made the royal son-in-law. Later, the king approaches him in distress, declaring, 'Our kingdom is in peril, disaster is imminent, and only the imperial son-in-law can save us.' The phrase thereafter became a vivid expression for catastrophe looming just around the corner.
💡 Example Usage
敌军已兵临城下，城中百姓祸在旦夕，城主却仍犹豫不决。
With enemy troops already at the city walls, the townspeople faced imminent disaster, yet the city lord still hesitated.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 祸在旦夕
- Pinyin: huò zài dàn xī
- Literal Translation: disaster, at, morning, evening
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4