📖 Meaning
To turn danger into safety; to rescue a perilous situation and restore security. It is most often used of a critical situation, such as a military crisis or a serious illness, that is successfully turned around.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the biography of Xie An in the Book of Jin. Xie An lived in retirement at Dongshan in Kuaiji, but when he was over forty he returned to public life, serving as marshal under the general Huan Wen. He rose through high offices, and the Jin dynasty's survival came to depend on him turning peril into safety.
💡 Example Usage
经过医生的全力抢救，这位危重病人终于转危为安。
After the doctors' full efforts, the critically ill patient finally turned the corner from danger to safety.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 转危为安
- Pinyin: zhuǎn wēi wéi ān
- Literal Translation: turn, danger, into, safety
- Category: Recovery
- Characters: 4