严阵以待
yán zhèn yǐ dài
to stand ready in full battle order; to be fully prepared
Character by character
严yán
tight
tight
阵zhèn
battle line
battle line
以yǐ
so as to
so as to
待dài
await
await
Example
台风登陆前夜，抢险队伍二十四小时值班，严阵以待。
On the eve of landfall the emergency crews were on duty round the clock, ready for anything.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
A military image that news reports use before storms, floods, exams and big matches. The subject is usually an organisation or team: 各部门严阵以待.
Learn this in Lesson 112 · HSK 7–9: 台风来了 (Typhoon warning: a weather report)
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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