亡在旦夕 — “On the verge of collapse or extinction”
亡在旦夕 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “on the verge of collapse or extinction”. Facing imminent ruin or doom. Literally, “Perish at dawn and dusk”.
亡在旦夕 Pronunciation and Pinyin
亡在旦夕 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 亡在旦夕
Origin and Story of 亡在旦夕
Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng's rebel army laid siege to Beijing. Emperor Chongzhen staunchly defended the capital.
Li Zicheng dispatched his strategist, Song Xiancen, to infiltrate Beijing and set up a fortune-telling stall.
Chongzhen, highly superstitious, visited Song Xiancen's stall for a reading. Song Xiancen deliberately told him that his doom was imminent, literally "perishing at dawn and dusk."
Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, Chongzhen hanged himself on Jingshan the very next day.
Idioms Related to 亡在旦夕
Synonyms of 亡在旦夕
More idioms starting with 亡
- wáng亡bù不dài待xī夕perish very soon
- wáng亡bù不xuán旋kuǐ跬perish in an instant
- wáng亡bù不xuán旋zhǒng踵perish almost instantly
- wáng亡kě可nài奈hé何have no alternative
- wáng亡mìng命zhī之tú徒desperate outlaw
- wáng亡guó国zhī之qì器instruments of national ruin
- wáng亡guó国zhī之shēng声decadent music of a doomed state
- wáng亡guó国zhī之shè社shrine of a fallen state
- wáng亡guó国zhī之yīn音decadent music of a fallen state
- wáng亡guó国dà大fū夫disloyal official of a fallen state
- wáng亡guó国nú奴a person subjugated by a conquering nation
- wáng亡guó国miè灭zhǒng种Ruin the state and destroy the race
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Open the tool →Questions about 亡在旦夕
What does 亡在旦夕 mean?
亡在旦夕 (wáng zài dàn xī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “on the verge of collapse or extinction”.
How do you pronounce 亡在旦夕?
亡在旦夕 is pronounced wáng zài dàn xī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 亡在旦夕 literally mean?
Literally, 亡在旦夕 means “Perish at dawn and dusk”. It is used to mean “on the verge of collapse or extinction”.
Where does 亡在旦夕 come from?
亡在旦夕 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 亡在旦夕?
旦：早晨；夕：晚上。灭亡只是早晚的事情