📖 Meaning
Literally shaking and about to fall. It describes something that is extremely unstable or perilous, in imminent danger of collapsing or dropping. Used both for physical objects and for regimes, organizations, or situations on the verge of failure.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Ming dynasty author Luo Guanzhong's classical novel 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' (三国演义), Chapter 104. In the scene, observers look up at a celestial phenomenon—a star—that appears dim and flickering, swaying as if about to fall from the sky. The omen foretells the impending death of the strategist Zhuge Liang. Over time the expression came to be used broadly for anything teetering on the edge of collapse.
💡 Example Usage
那座年久失修的木桥在风雨中摇摇欲坠，没人敢再走上去。
The long-neglected wooden bridge swayed precariously in the wind and rain, and no one dared cross it anymore.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 摇摇欲坠
- Pinyin: yáo yáo yù zhuì
- Literal Translation: shake, shake, about to, fall
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4