朝不保夕 live from hand to mouth
Explanation
形容处境危险，随时可能发生不幸的事情。
Describes a dangerous situation where something bad could happen at any time.
Origin Story
晋武帝统一全国后，推行“以孝治天下”，提倡孝敬父母，尊重老人。他想启用西蜀尚书郎李密，就下诏书任命李密为郎中。李密不愿出来做官，就写《陈情表》上书，说自己与祖母相依为命，祖母年事已高，身体抱恙，家境贫寒，朝不保夕，自己需要侍奉祖母，等到祖母百年之后，再出来为朝廷效力。晋武帝被李密的孝心所感动，准了他的请求。这个故事告诉我们，孝敬父母是中华民族的传统美德，也是我们每个人应该做到的。
After Emperor Wu of Jin unified the whole country, he implemented the policy of "governing through filial piety", advocating respect for parents and the elderly. He wanted to appoint Li Mi, the Shangshu official from Xishu, and issued a decree to appoint Li Mi as Langzhong. However, Li Mi did not want to take up an official post, so he wrote the "Chenqing Table", saying that he and his grandmother depend on each other, his grandmother is old and frail, their family is poor, and they live from day to day. He needs to serve his grandmother, and after his grandmother's death, he will go out to serve the court. Emperor Wu was moved by Li Mi's filial piety and granted his request. This story tells us that respecting parents is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation and something we should all do.
Usage
形容处境艰难，随时都有可能发生危险。
Describes a difficult situation where danger could occur at any time.
Examples
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他家境贫寒，朝不保夕。
ta jiajing pinhan, zhao bu bao xi
His family was poor, and he lived from hand to mouth.
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在这个动荡的时代，许多人朝不保夕，生活艰难。
zai zhege dongdang de shidai, xuduoren zhao bu bao xi, shenghuonanjnan
In these turbulent times, many people live from hand to mouth, struggling to survive