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危在旦夕

Mandarin · pinyin wēi zài dàn xī

in imminent peril (idiom)
on the brink of crisis

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Characters in this entry

危: wēi · dangerous, precarious; high; 12th lunar mansion, determinative star α Aquarii (Sadalmelik)
在: zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
旦: dàn · dawn; morning; day
夕: xī · evening, night, dusk; slanted

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4–4–1 · wei1 zai4 dan4 xi1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ngai4 zoi6 daan3 zik6

Cantonese word readings for 危在旦夕. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) in imminent danger; on the brink of crisis

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

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