📖 Meaning
Like a shooting star flashing swiftly across the sky. It describes a situation that is extremely urgent and pressing, demanding immediate action. Often used to characterize summonses, orders, or needs that brook no delay.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from 'Chen Qing Biao' (Petition Expressing My Feelings), a famous memorial written by Li Mi of the Western Jin Dynasty to Emperor Wu of Jin. Li Mi wrote the memorial to respectfully decline an official appointment so that he could care for his ailing grandmother. In it he described how local officials kept coming to his door pressing him to take office, writing '州司临门，急于星火' — the authorities arriving at his gate with demands as urgent as a shooting star's flash.
💡 Example Usage
前线军情急于星火，将军连夜召集幕僚商议对策。
The military situation at the front was as urgent as a shooting star, so the general summoned his advisors overnight to discuss a response.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 急于星火
- Pinyin: jí yú xīng huǒ
- Literal Translation: urgent, than, star, fire
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4