三长两短

sān cháng liǎng duǎn

a mishap; something terrible (even death)

Character by character

三sān
three

长cháng
long

两liǎng
two

短duǎn
short

你一个人去爬雪山，万一有个三长两短怎么办？

You’re climbing a snow mountain alone — what if something happens to you?

Tone: neutral.

A worried euphemism, usually 万一有个三长两短; folk etymology links it to the three long and two short boards of a coffin.

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