📖 Meaning
Describes a matter of extreme urgency and importance, literally one where life itself is at stake. It is used to emphasize that something is absolutely critical and cannot be taken lightly. The idiom conveys a sense of life-or-death gravity.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing Dynasty novel 'Huan Hai' (《宦海》) by Zhang Chunfan (张春帆). In Chapter 11, a character warns that a certain matter is '性命交关' and cannot be experimented with casually. The phrase combines 性命 (life) with 交关 (involved or related), suggesting that the matter is so serious it concerns one's very existence. It has since entered common usage to describe any situation of critical importance.
💡 Example Usage
这可是性命交关的大事，千万马虎不得。
This is a matter of life and death — you absolutely must not be careless about it.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 性命交关
- Pinyin: xìng mìng jiāo guān
- Literal Translation: life, critically involved
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4