命悬一线
mìng xuán yī xiàn
one's life hangs by a thread
Character by character
命mìng
life
life
悬xuán
hangs
hangs
一yī
one
one
线xiàn
thread
thread
Example
被救上岸的时候，孩子已经命悬一线，医生抢救了一个多小时，他才脱离危险。
When the boy was pulled out of the water his life was hanging by a thread; the doctors worked on him for more than an hour before he was out of danger.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
A favourite of reports on rescues and emergency operations, often as 命悬一线之际 (just when a life hung by a thread). The subject is a person, or loosely a company or a species. 千钧一发 describes the moment; 命悬一线 describes the person whose life is at stake.
Learn this in Lesson 154 · HSK 7–9: 拨打120 (Calling 120)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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