生死关头 shēng sǐ guān tóu Life-or-death situation

Explanation

指极其危险、重要的时刻，也指面临生死存亡的时刻。

Refers to an extremely dangerous and important moment, often a moment of life or death.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的诗人，正乘船夜游长江。突遇大风，狂风巨浪，瞬间将小船打翻，李白落水，情况万分危急。在生死关头，他紧紧抓住了一根漂浮的木板，凭借着高超的游泳技术和顽强的毅力，最终成功获救，逃过了一劫。这场惊险的经历，让他对人生有了更深刻的感悟，也激发了他创作出更多优秀的诗篇。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, zhèng chéng chuán yè yóu cháng jiāng. tū yù dà fēng, kuáng fēng jù làng, shùnjiān jiāng xiǎo chuán dǎ fān, lǐ bái luò shuǐ, qíngkuàng wàn fēn wēijí. zài shēngsǐ guāntóu, tā jǐn jǐn zhuā zhù le yī gēn piāofú de mù bǎn, píngjiè zhe gāo chāo de yóuyǒng jìshù hé wánqiáng de yìlì, zuìzhōng chénggōng huò jiù, táoguò le yī jié. zhè chǎng jīngxiǎn de jīnglì, ràng tā duì rénshēng yǒu le gèng shēnkè de gǎnwù, yě jīfā le tā chuàngzuò chū gèng duō yōuxiù de shīpiān

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, a poet named Li Bai was boating on the Yangtze River at night. Suddenly a strong wind came, and the huge waves overturned the small boat instantly. Li Bai fell into the water and the situation was extremely dangerous. At the critical moment, he tightly grasped a floating wooden board, and with superb swimming skills and tenacious perseverance, he was finally rescued, having escaped a calamity. This thrilling experience gave him a deeper understanding of life and also inspired him to create more excellent poems.

Usage

多用于危急时刻，比喻事情到了最危险的境地。

duō yòng yú wēijí shíkè, bǐ yù shìqíng dàole zuì wēixiǎn de jìngdì

Often used in critical moments, it is used to describe the most dangerous situation.

Examples

• 他正处于生死关头，我们必须尽力相助。

  tā zhèng chǔyú shēngsǐ guāntóu, wǒmen bìxū jìnlì xiāngzhù

  He was in a life-or-death situation, and we had to help him.

• 这场比赛到了生死关头，胜负就在一线之间。

  zhè chǎng bǐsài dàole shēngsǐ guāntóu, shèngfù jiù zài yīxiàn zhī jiān

  The game was at a critical juncture; victory or defeat was at stake.

Related Idioms

• 千钧一发

• 危急时刻

Opposite Idioms

• 安然无恙

• 相安无事