燃眉之急
rán méi zhī jí
a pressing emergency, as urgent as fire singeing your eyebrows
Character by character
燃rán
burning
burning
眉méi
eyebrows
eyebrows
之zhī
’s
’s
急jí
urgency
urgency
Example
这笔贷款解了公司的燃眉之急，拖了两个月的工资总算发下去了。
The loan got the company out of its immediate crisis, and two months of overdue wages were finally paid.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Usually with 解, 救 or 缓解: 解燃眉之急. The everyday picture is 火烧眉毛 (“fire burning your eyebrows”). 当务之急 (lesson 3-20) is the most urgent task; 燃眉之急 is the crisis itself.
Learn this in Lesson 172 · HSK 7–9: 南水北调 (Sending southern water north)
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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