居安思危 — “Reside in peace, think of danger”
居安思危 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be mindful of potential dangers and challenges even when in a safe and secure environment; to be prepared for any unforeseen contingencies”. Literally, “Reside in peace, think of danger”.
居安思危 Pronunciation and Pinyin
居安思危 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 居安思危
Origin and Story of 居安思危
The states of Song, Qi, and others jointly launched an attack on the state of Zheng. The weaker state of Zheng, aware of its military inferiority, sought the mediation of the state of Jin, hoping that Song, Qi, and the other states would abandon their offensive. Fearing the powerful Jin and unwilling to offend it, the other states decided to withdraw their troops.
To express gratitude to Jin, the ruler of Zheng sent many beautiful women and precious jewels as a tribute. Upon receiving this gift, Duke Dao of Jin was very pleased and awarded half of the beautiful women to Wei Jiang, who had been instrumental in the diplomatic success.
Unexpectedly, the upright Wei Jiang flatly refused the reward and advised Duke Dao of Jin, saying: "Although Jin is strong now, we must never become complacent. When people are in a state of security, they must always think of potential dangers that may arise in the future. Only by doing so can we prepare in advance and avoid failure and disaster."
After hearing Wei Jiang's words, Duke Dao of Jin realized that Wei Jiang constantly cared about the safety of the state and its people, and from then on, he held him in even higher esteem.
Idioms Related to 居安思危
Synonyms of 居安思危
Antonyms of 居安思危
More idioms starting with 居
- jū居xià下shàn讪shàng上subordinates mock superiors behind their back
- jū居bù不chóng重xí席Live a frugal and simple life
- jū居bù不chóng重yīn茵live a frugal and simple life
- jū居zhī之bù不yí疑feel perfectly justified in one's place
- jū居rén仁yóu由yì义uphold benevolence and act righteously
- jū居tíng停zhǔ主rén人lodging host
- jū居lì利sī思yì义consider righteousness when faced with profit
- jū居gōng功zì自ào傲become arrogant due to past achievements
- jū居gōng功zì自mǎn满rest on laurels
- jū居dà大bù不yì易Living in a big city is not easy
- jū居ān安wàng忘wēi危forget danger in times of peace
- jū居ān安lǜ虑wēi危prepare for danger in times of peace
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Open the tool →Questions about 居安思危
What does 居安思危 mean?
居安思危 (jū ān sī wēi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be mindful of potential dangers and challenges even when in a safe and secure environment; to be prepared for any unforeseen contingencies”.
How do you pronounce 居安思危?
居安思危 is pronounced jū ān sī wēi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 居安思危 literally mean?
Literally, 居安思危 means “Reside in peace, think of danger”. It is used to mean “to be mindful of potential dangers and challenges even when in a safe and secure environment; to be prepared for any unforeseen contingencies”.
Where does 居安思危 come from?
居安思危 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 居安思危?
居：处于；思：想。虽然处在平安的环境里，也想到有出现危险的可能。指随时有应付意外事件的思想准备。