朝不保夕 — “To live in a precarious state, not knowing what the future holds”
朝不保夕 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to live in a precarious state, not knowing what the future holds”. To be in constant uncertainty or imminent danger, where survival itself is uncertain from day to day. Literally, “morning cannot guarantee evening”.
朝不保夕 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 朝zhāo
- 不bù
- 保bǎo
- 夕xī
朝不保夕 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 朝不保夕
Origin and Story of 朝不保夕
After Emperor Wu of Jin unified the country, he promoted the principle of "governing with filial piety," advocating respect for parents and elders. He intended to appoint Li Mi, a Shangshu Lang from Western Shu, and issued an imperial decree commissioning Li Mi as a Langzhong.
Li Mi was reluctant to become an official, so he submitted a memorial titled "Chen Qing Biao" (Memorial of Plea).
In his plea, he stated that he and his grandmother were interdependent for survival, and her days were numbered, living in a precarious state (朝不保夕). He requested to attend to his grandmother first before taking on an official position.
Idioms Related to 朝不保夕
Synonyms of 朝不保夕
More idioms starting with 朝
- zhāo朝sān三mù暮èr二to be inconsistent or indecisive
- zhāo朝sān三mù暮sì四fickle and inconsistent
- zhāo朝bù不bǎo保mù暮living precariously, unable to guarantee the future
- zhāo朝bù不jí及xī夕precarious situation, uncertain survival
- cháo朝bù不tú图xī夕live from hand to mouth
- zhāo朝bù不lǜ虑xī夕live precariously, not knowing what tomorrow holds
- zhāo朝bù不móu谋xī夕living precariously, unable to plan ahead
- cháo朝dōng东mù暮xī西constantly changing one's mind
- cháo朝zhōng中yǒu有rén人hǎo好zuò做guān官Connections make it easy to succeed
- zhāo朝qián乾xī夕tì惕diligent and vigilant day and night
- zhāo朝qián乾xī夕dàng愓diligent and cautious all day long
- zhāo朝yún云mù暮yǔ雨brief romantic encounter
Questions about 朝不保夕
- What does 朝不保夕 mean?
- 朝不保夕 (zhāo bù bǎo xī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to live in a precarious state, not knowing what the future holds”.
- How do you pronounce 朝不保夕?
- 朝不保夕 is pronounced zhāo bù bǎo xī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 朝不保夕 literally mean?
- Literally, 朝不保夕 means “morning cannot guarantee evening”. It is used to mean “to live in a precarious state, not knowing what the future holds”.
- Where does 朝不保夕 come from?
- 朝不保夕 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 朝不保夕?
- 早晨不能知道晚上会变成什么样子或发生什么情况。形容形势危急，难以预料。