DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
懸崖勒馬
简 悬崖勒马 · 繁 懸崖勒馬Mandarin · pinyin xuán yá lè mǎ
Meanings
- lit. to rein in the horse at the edge of the precipice (idiom)
- fig. to act in the nick of time
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Mandarin tones
2–2–4–3 · xuan2 ya2 le4 ma3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
jyun4 ngaai4 lak6 maa5
Cantonese word readings for 懸崖勒馬. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
jyun4 ngaai4 lak6 maa5
Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to desist from doing something before it is too late; to pull back before it is too late
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack