📖 Meaning
A metaphor for being in a perilous and difficult situation, as though wading into a deep pool or treading on thin ice. It conveys a sense of treading cautiously through danger where a single misstep could prove fatal. It is equivalent to the idiom 若涉渊水.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from Southern Song dynasty writer Chen Liang's essay 论励臣之道 (On the Way to Encourage Ministers). In it, Emperor Xiaozun speaks in his own voice, recalling the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by the retired Emperor Gaozong and his burning shame over the state's lost territories, vowing revenge for eight years. He describes his reign as 若涉渊冰—like wading into deep water and treading on ice—unsure of how he would ever achieve his goal. The line captures a ruler's anxiety and humility amid overwhelming danger rather than any concrete feat.
💡 Example Usage
创业之初，他若涉渊冰，步步谨慎，生怕稍有闪失。
In the early days of starting the company, he moved as though wading into deep water and treading on ice—cautious at every step, afraid of the slightest misstep.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 若涉渊冰
- Pinyin: ruò shè yuān bīng
- Literal Translation: as if, wade into, deep water, ice
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4