當機立斷

简 当机立断 · 繁 當機立斷
Mandarin · pinyin dāng jī lì duàn

Meanings

  1. to make prompt decisions (idiom)
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Characters in this entry

當
dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
機
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立
lì · stand; let stand; establish, set
斷
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当
dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
机
jī · desk; machine; moment
断
duàn · sever, cut off; interrupt
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–4 · dang1 ji1 li4 duan4

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dong1 gei1 laap6 dyun6

Cantonese word readings for 當機立斷. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

dong1 gei1 laap6 dyun6

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

  1. (idiomatic) to be decisive and make a decision promptly at a critical moment
  2. (literally) of an electronic device: crashed and immediately disconnected

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack