当机立断
dāng jī lì duàn
to decide on the spot
Character by character
当dāng
at
at
机jī
the moment
the moment
立lì
at once
at once
断duàn
decide
decide
Example
他当机立断,马上送病人去医院。
He made a snap decision and rushed the patient to hospital.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
当 is dāng (at the moment); praises decisiveness in an emergency.
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