大厦将倾
dà shà jiāng qīng
a great structure (a dynasty, a firm) on the point of collapse
Character by character
大dà
great
great
厦shà
building
building
将jiāng
about to
about to
倾qīng
topple
topple
Example
公司已经大厦将倾，新来的总经理再能干也独木难支。
The company was on the verge of collapse, and however able the new chief executive was, one man could not hold it up.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Formal; about dynasties, regimes and big companies. Often followed by 独木难支 “a single log cannot prop it up”, a pair used of the last years of a dynasty, the late Ming among them.
Learn this in Lesson 96 · HSK 6–7: 从乞丐到皇帝：明朝 (From beggar to emperor: the Ming)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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