兵临城下 bīng lín chéng xià Soldiers at the city gates

Explanation

兵临城下，指的是敌军已经抵达城墙下，距离攻城只有一步之遥，形势十分危急。这个成语常用来比喻情况紧急，需要立即采取措施，才能化险为夷。

"Soldiers at the city gates" means that the enemy troops have already reached the city wall, and are only one step away from capturing the city. The situation is very dangerous. This idiom is often used to describe an urgent situation where immediate action must be taken to avert danger.

Origin Story

战国时期，齐国和梁国之间爆发了战争。齐国军队势如破竹，一路高歌猛进，很快就兵临梁城城下。梁王眼看大势已去，急得团团转，不知道该怎么办。这时，他的谋士田忌献计道：“大王不必惊慌，我们可以向韩国求救，他们与齐国有仇，一定会帮助我们的。”梁王采纳了田忌的建议，立即派使者前往韩国求援。韩国国王得知齐国兵临城下，担心梁国灭亡后，齐国就会来攻打自己，于是立即派兵前往梁国援助。齐国军队看到韩国援军到来，不得不暂时退兵，梁国这才躲过了一场灭顶之灾。

zhàn guó shí qī, qí guó hé liáng guó zhī jiān bào fā le zhàn zhēng. qí guó jūn duì shì rú pò zhú, yī lù gāo gē měng jìn, hěn kuài jiù bīng lín liáng chéng chéng xià. liáng wáng yǎn kàn dà shì yǐ qù, jí de tuán tuán zhuǎn, bù zhī dào gāi zěn me bàn. zhè shí, tā de móu shì tián jì xiàn jì dào: "dà wáng bù bì jīng huāng, wǒ men kě yǐ xiàng hán guó qiú jiù, tā men yǔ qí guó yǒu chóu, yī dìng huì bāng zhù wǒ men de." liáng wáng cǎi nà le tián jì de jiàn yì, lì jí pài shǐ zhě wǎng hán guó qiú yuán. hán guó guó wáng zhī dá qí guó bīng lín chéng xià, dān xīn liáng guó miè wáng hòu, qí guó jiù huì lái gōng dǎ zì jǐ, yú shì lì jí pài bīng wǎng liáng guó yuán zhù. qí guó jūn duì kàn dào hán guó yuán jūn dào lái, bù dé bù zàn shí tuì bīng, liáng guó cái cái dǒ guò le yī chǎng miè dǐng zhī zāi.

During the Warring States period, a war broke out between the states of Qi and Liang. The Qi army was unstoppable and marched forward quickly, soon reaching the city of Liang. King Liang saw that the situation was hopeless and was desperate, not knowing what to do. Then, his advisor Tian Ji came up with a plan: "Your Majesty, don't panic. We can ask for help from Han. They have a feud with Qi and will surely help us." King Liang accepted Tian Ji's suggestion and immediately sent a messenger to Han to ask for aid. The King of Han learned that Qi was at the gates of Liang and was afraid that after Liang was destroyed, Qi would come to attack him, so he immediately sent troops to Liang to help. When the Qi army saw the Han reinforcements arriving, they had to temporarily withdraw. Thus, Liang escaped a disastrous defeat.

Usage

这个成语常用来形容事情非常紧急，需要立即采取措施，才能避免危险。例如，在工作中，当我们遇到一些突发状况时，要冷静思考，及时处理，不要等到兵临城下才手忙脚乱。

zhè ge chéng yǔ cháng yòng lái xíng róng shì qíng fēi cháng jǐn jí, xū yào lì jí cǎi qǔ cuò shī, cái néng bì miǎn wēi xiǎn. lì rú, zài gōng zuò zhōng, dāng wǒ men yù dào yī xiē tū fā zhuàng kuàng shí, yào líng jìng sī kǎo, jí shí chǔ lǐ, bù yào děng dào bīng lín chéng xià cái shǒu máng jiǎo luàn.

This idiom is often used to describe that a situation is very urgent and immediate action must be taken to avoid danger. For example, in the workplace, when we encounter an emergency, we should think calmly and deal with it in a timely manner, so as not to panic when the situation escalates.

Examples

• 敌军兵临城下，守城将士们已经做好了战斗的准备。

  dí jūn bīng lín chéng xià, shǒu chéng jiàng shì men yǐ jīng zuò hǎo le zhàn dòu de zhǔn bèi.

  The enemy troops are at the gates of the city, and the defenders are prepared for battle.

• 面对着市场的激烈竞争，我们必须做好充分的准备，才能兵临城下，取得胜利。

  miàn duì zhe shì chǎng de jī liè jìng zhēng, wǒ men bì xū zuò hǎo chōng fèn de zhǔn bèi, cái néng bīng lín chéng xià, qǔ dé shèng lì.

  Facing the fierce competition in the market, we must be fully prepared to be able to succeed.

• 这次考试，大家都要做好充分的准备，不要等到兵临城下才慌张。

  zhè cì kǎo shì, dà jiā dōu yào zuò hǎo chōng fèn de zhǔn bèi, bù yào děng dào bīng lín chéng xià cái huāng zhāng.

  For this exam, everyone should be fully prepared, don't wait until the last minute to panic.

Related Idioms

• 十万火急

• 刻不容缓

• 迫在眉睫

• 燃眉之急

Opposite Idioms

• 高枕无忧

• 安如泰山

• 安然无恙