临危不乱
lín wēi bù luàn
to keep calm in the face of danger
Character by character
临lín
facing
facing
危wēi
danger
danger
不bù
not
not
乱luàn
flustered
flustered
Example
飞机遇到强气流，飞行员临危不乱，带着全体乘客安全降落。
The plane hit severe turbulence, but the pilot kept calm and landed safely with all the passengers.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Praise for pilots, doctors, commanders and anyone who keeps a clear head in a crisis; often paired with 沉着冷静. 临危不惧 (facing danger without fear) is a close relative.
Learn this in Lesson 203 · HSK 7–9: 利比亚撤侨 (The evacuation from Libya)
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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