How do you pronounce 危如累卵?

危如累卵 is pronounced wēi rú lěi luǎn in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 危如累卵 literally mean?

Literally, 危如累卵 means “Dangerous like stacked eggs; precarious as piled eggs”. It is used to mean “in a highly precarious or extremely dangerous situation”.

Where does 危如累卵 come from?

危如累卵 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 危如累卵?

比喻形势非常危险，如同堆起来的蛋，随时都有塌下打碎的可能。

危如累卵 — “In a highly precarious or extremely dangerous situation”

危如累卵 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “in a highly precarious or extremely dangerous situation”. On the verge of collapse or ruin, like a stack of eggs that could topple at any moment. Literally, “Dangerous like stacked eggs; precarious as piled eggs”.

Frequency

危如累卵 Pronunciation and Pinyin

危wēi
如rú
累lěi
卵luǎn

危如累卵 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
危	wēi	6	dangerous, in peril
如	rú	6	like, as, if
累	lěi	11	tired, accumulate, burden
卵	luǎn	7	egg or ovum

Example Sentence with 危如累卵

经过连续几天的暴雨，那座年久失修的木桥已经危如累卵，随时可能垮塌。

After several days of continuous heavy rain, the old, dilapidated wooden bridge was in a precarious state, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

Origin and Story of 危如累卵

During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Ling of Jin, indulging in pleasure, ordered his minister Tu An to build a nine-story magnificent terrace. Fearing opposition, he decreed, "Anyone who dares to admonish will be executed!"

Minister Xun Xi learned of this and sought an audience with Duke Ling. To prevent Xun Xi from offering advice, Duke Ling commanded his warriors to draw their bows and nock their arrows, ready to shoot Xun Xi immediately if he spoke against the project.

When Xun Xi met Duke Ling, he pretended to be relaxed and said, "I have come to see Your Majesty today not to offer any advice, but merely to perform a special trick for you. I can stack 12 chess pieces and then pile 9 eggs on top without them toppling over." Duke Ling, intrigued, asked Xun Xi to demonstrate.

Xun Xi first stacked the 12 chess pieces, then carefully added the eggs one by one. Duke Ling, watching, exclaimed loudly, "Dangerous!" Xun Xi calmly replied, "What's dangerous about this? There's something even more perilous."

Duke Ling asked what could be more perilous. Xun Xi said, "Your Majesty, you are building a nine-story high terrace, which has left no men to farm the land in the country, and the national treasury is empty. If an enemy invades, the state will be in imminent peril. Isn't that far more dangerous?"

Hearing this, Duke Ling suddenly came to his senses and immediately ordered the halt of the nine-story terrace project.

Idioms Related to 危如累卵

Synonyms of 危如累卵

Antonyms of 危如累卵

More idioms starting with 危

Questions about 危如累卵

What does 危如累卵 mean?: 危如累卵 (wēi rú lěi luǎn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “in a highly precarious or extremely dangerous situation”.
How do you pronounce 危如累卵?: 危如累卵 is pronounced wēi rú lěi luǎn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 危如累卵 literally mean?: Literally, 危如累卵 means “Dangerous like stacked eggs; precarious as piled eggs”. It is used to mean “in a highly precarious or extremely dangerous situation”.
Where does 危如累卵 come from?: 危如累卵 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 危如累卵?: 比喻形势非常危险，如同堆起来的蛋，随时都有塌下打碎的可能。

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