不堪设想 unimaginable
Explanation
“不堪设想”的意思是指未来情况不能想象，预料事情会发展到很坏的地步。它通常用来表达对某种情况的担忧或恐惧，认为事情的发展将非常糟糕，无法想象会发生什么。
The phrase “unimaginable” means that one cannot imagine the future situation and anticipates that things will develop very badly. It is usually used to express concern or fear about a certain situation, believing that the development will be very bad and it is impossible to imagine what will happen.
Origin Story
在古代中国，有一位名叫李白的诗人，他以豪迈的诗篇闻名于世。有一天，李白在游览山川的时候，突然下起了暴雨，他躲进了一座山洞避雨。雨势越来越大，山洞里也变得越来越黑暗。李白担心外面的暴雨会引发山洪，心里忐忑不安。他心想：如果山洪爆发，自己被困在山洞里，后果将不堪设想！于是，他焦急地在山洞里来回踱步，希望雨势能够尽快减弱。就在这时，他发现山洞的顶端出现了一丝亮光。李白惊喜地抬头望去，原来是山洞外的一棵大树的枝干被雨水冲断，倒在了山洞的入口处，正好挡住了雨水。李白心中顿时充满了感激，他知道自己能够安全脱险，这都是大树的功劳。从此以后，李白更加敬畏自然，也更加珍惜生命。
In ancient China, there was a poet named Li Bai, who was known for his magnificent poems. One day, while Li Bai was touring the mountains, a sudden heavy rain began to fall. He took shelter in a cave. The rain became heavier and heavier, and the cave grew darker and darker. Li Bai was worried that the heavy rain outside would trigger a flood, and he was uneasy. He thought: If a flood breaks out, and I am trapped in the cave, the consequences will be unimaginable! So he paced anxiously in the cave, hoping that the rain would weaken soon. Just then, he noticed a faint light at the top of the cave. Li Bai looked up in surprise and saw that the branch of a large tree outside the cave had been broken by the rain and had fallen at the entrance of the cave, blocking the rain. Li Bai was immediately filled with gratitude, and he realized that he owed his survival to the tree. From that day on, Li Bai respected nature even more and cherished life even more.
Usage
这个成语通常用于表达对未来情况的担忧，或者对某件事可能产生的负面影响的预判。例如，在讨论战争、自然灾害或者重大决策时，人们经常会用“不堪设想”来表达对潜在风险的担忧。
This idiom is usually used to express concern about the future situation, or to predict the potential negative impact of something. For example, when discussing war, natural disasters, or major decisions, people often use “unimaginable” to express their concern about potential risks.
Examples
-
如果战争爆发，后果将不堪设想。
rú guǒ zhàn zhēng bào fā, hòu guǒ jiāng bù kān shè xiǎng.
The consequences of a war would be unimaginable.
-
一旦疫情失控，后果不堪设想。
yī dàn yì qíng shī kòng, hòu guǒ bù kān shè xiǎng.
The consequences of an uncontrolled epidemic would be unimaginable.
-
这场经济危机对整个社会的影响不堪设想。
zhè chǎng jīng jì wēi jī duì zhěng gè shè huì de yǐng xiǎng bù kān shè xiǎng.
The consequences of this economic crisis for society as a whole are unimaginable.
-
他这样下去，后果不堪设想！
tā zhè yàng xià qù, hòu guǒ bù kān shè xiǎng!
If he continues like this, the consequences will be unimaginable!
-
如果这次考试不及格，后果不堪设想！
rú guǒ zhè cì kǎo shì bù jí gé, hòu guǒ bù kān shè xiǎng!
If I fail this exam, the consequences will be unimaginable!