临危授命 — “To accept a critical mission or task in times of crisis or peril”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 临危授命?

在危急关头勇于献出生命。

临危授命 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to accept a critical mission or task in times of crisis or peril”. To be entrusted with an important responsibility during a dangerous juncture. Literally, “To face danger and receive a mandate”.

Frequency

临危授命 Pronunciation and Pinyin

临危授命 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
临	lín	9	to approach or overlook
危	wēi	6	dangerous, in peril
授	shòu	11	give, grant, teach
命	mìng	8	life, fate, command

Example Sentence with 临危授命

在公司面临存亡的关键时刻，他临危授命，接下了重组业务的艰巨任务

At a critical moment when the company's survival was at stake, he accepted the critical mission and took on the arduous task of business restructuring.

Origin and Story of 临危授命

During the Spring and Autumn period, the state of Lu was dominated by three powerful families – the Jisun, Mengsun, and Shusun clans – effectively reducing Duke Ding of Lu to a puppet ruler.

Upon learning that Confucius was teaching and advocating for the proper relationship between ruler and subject, Duke Ding immediately summoned him. Confucius, recognizing this as a call to accept a mission in a perilous situation, analyzed the internal strife and external threats facing Lu. He advised the Duke to forge alliances with the state of Qi externally and to reestablish the ruler's authority internally, proposing a series of measures to achieve these goals.