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危机四伏

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: wēi jī sì fú
  • English Translation: Crisis lurking on all sides (riddled with danger)
  • Idiom Composition: 「危」（Danger or precarious）＋「机」（Crucial point or sign (here referring to the signs of a crisis)）＋「四」（Four directions; everywhere）＋「伏」（To hide, to lurk, or to lie in ambush）
  • Meaning: A state where danger or potential disaster is hidden in every direction. It describes a tense situation where, even if things look calm on the surface, threats are waiting to emerge at any moment.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「危机四伏」 contains the following nuances:

  • Latent Threats: The idiom emphasizes threats that are hidden (伏 - fú) and developing out of sight, rather than just obvious, visible dangers.
  • Omnidirectional Risk: The use of 四 (sì) implies that there is no safe haven, as danger could strike from any direction at any time.

3. Usage

「危机四伏」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Political and Social Situations: Used to describe a society in an unstable state with signs of war, riots, or economic collapse.
    • Example:「那个地区的局势动荡不安，可谓危机四伏。」
      （The situation in that region is volatile and can be described as riddled with danger.)
  • Business and Management: Refers to a situation where multiple problems affecting a company's survival, such as bankruptcy risks or internal conflict, are piling up.
    • Example:「这家公司表面风光，实则资金链断裂，内部危机四伏。」
      （This company looks successful on the surface, but with its broken capital chain, it is actually beset by hidden crises.)
  • Adventure and Suspense: Used in fiction to describe a protagonist entering an unknown or hostile environment where they must remain on high alert.
    • Example:「探险队走进了一片危机四伏的原始森林。」
      （The expedition team stepped into a primeval forest that was fraught with hidden perils.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 在这个危机四伏的江湖中，必须时刻保持警惕。
    （In this danger-ridden underworld, one must remain vigilant at all times.）
  2. 看似平静的海面下，其实暗流涌动，危机四伏。
    （Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the sea, undercurrents surge and crises lurk everywhere.）
  3. 由于缺乏监管，网络金融领域一度危机四伏。
    （Due to a lack of regulation, the internet finance sector was once fraught with hidden risks.）
  4. 他在危机四伏的战场上幸存了下来。
    （He survived on a battlefield that was riddled with danger.）
  5. 这段婚姻早已危机四伏，离婚只是时间问题。
    （This marriage had long been beset by hidden crises, and divorce was only a matter of time.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This expression is not derived from a specific ancient fable but became established in modern literature. A famous example is found in the novel Midnight (子夜) by Mao Dun (茅盾), which describes Shanghai as a place where 危机四伏 (wēi jī sì fú).
  • Nuance: While the idiom 四面楚歌 (sì miàn chǔ gē) implies being completely surrounded by enemies and facing certain defeat, 危机四伏 (wēi jī sì fú) suggests a 'minefield' state where a fatal collapse hasn't happened yet, but the atmosphere is incredibly tense and explosive.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

危机四伏 (wēi jī sì fú) describes a precarious situation where threats are hidden in every corner. Unlike idioms that describe total collapse, this term emphasizes the tension of a 'minefield' environment—whether in social unrest, a failing business, or a literal dangerous wilderness—where one wrong move could trigger a disaster.

Idiom Essay

wēi jī sì fú
危机四伏
Surrounded by Hidden Dangers
yǒu shí hòu有时候，wǒ men我们shēn chù身处de的huán jìng环境kàn qǐ lái看起来hěn很píng jìng平静。

Sometimes, the environment we are in looks very calm.

méi yǒu没有zhēng chǎo争吵，méi yǒu没有hùn luàn混乱，shèn zhì甚至tīng bú dào听不到yì diǎn一点zá yīn杂音。

There are no quarrels, no chaos, and not even a bit of noise can be heard.

dàn shì但是，zhè zhǒng这种píng jìng平静fǎn ér反而kě néng可能huì会ràng让nǐ你gǎn dào感到yī zhǒng一种shuō bù chū说不出de的bù ān不安。

However, this kind of calm might instead make you feel an indescribable unease.

nǐ你suī rán虽然kàn bú jiàn看不见wēi xiǎn危险，dàn但zhí jué直觉gào sù告诉nǐ你，wēi xiǎn危险hǎo xiàng好像cáng藏zài在měi每yí gè一个jiǎo luò角落，suí shí随时kě néng可能tiào跳chū lái出来。

Although you cannot see the danger, your intuition tells you that danger seems to be hiding in every corner, ready to jump out at any time.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种chǔ jìng处境，jiào叫“wēi jī sì fú危机四伏”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this situation called 危机四伏.

zhè ge这个cí词lǐ里，zuì最nài rén xún wèi耐人寻味de的zì字，qí shí其实shì是zuì hòu最后nà ge那个“fú伏”。

In this phrase, the most thought-provoking character is actually the last one, 伏.

“fú伏”，shì是qián fú潜伏、pā xià趴下de的yì si意思。

伏 means to lurk or lie prostrate.

tā它xíng xiàng形象dì地gào sù告诉wǒ men我们：zhè lǐ这里de的wēi xiǎn危险，bú shì不是zhàn站zhe着de的，yě也bú shì不是dà shēng大声hǎn jiào喊叫de的，ér shì而是ān ān jìng jìng安安静静dì地duǒ躲zài在àn chù暗处。

It vividly tells us: the danger here is not standing up or shouting loudly, but is quietly hiding in the dark.

ér而“sì四”，dài biǎo代表sì zhōu四周、sì miàn bā fāng四面八方。

And 四 represents the four sides or all directions.

zhè这yì wèi zhe意味着，nǐ你gēn běn根本bù不zhī dào知道má fán麻烦huì会cóng从nǎ ge哪个fāng xiàng方向lái来，yě也bù不zhī dào知道tā它huì会zài在shén me shí hòu什么时候fā shēng发生。

This means you have no idea which direction the trouble will come from, nor do you know when it will happen.

wǒ men我们tōng cháng通常bú huì不会yòng用“wēi jī sì fú危机四伏”lái来xíng róng形容yí gè一个yǐ jīng已经bèi被pò huài破坏de的xiàn chǎng现场。

We usually do not use 危机四伏 to describe a scene that has already been destroyed.

xiāng fǎn相反，tā它wǎng wǎng往往yòng lái用来xíng róng形容nà xiē那些biǎo miàn shàng表面上hái还méi没chū shì出事，dàn但nèi bù内部yǐ jīng已经chōng mǎn充满le了yǐn huàn隐患de的shí kè时刻。

On the contrary, it is often used to describe those moments when nothing has gone wrong on the surface, but the interior is already full of hidden perils.

bǐ rú比如，yī jiā一家kàn shì看似fēng guāng风光de的gōng sī公司，qí shí其实zī jīn资金yǐ jīng已经chū出le了dà大wèn tí问题，jìng zhēng duì shǒu竞争对手yě也zhèng zài正在zhǔn bèi准备gōng jī攻击；huò zhě或者shì是zài在cóng lín丛林lǐ里，zhōu wéi周围yī piàn一片sǐ jì死寂，dàn但cǎo cóng草丛shēn chù深处kě néng可能yǒu有yě shòu野兽zài在dīng盯zhe着nǐ你。

For example, a company that looks successful might actually have major financial problems while competitors are preparing to attack; or in a jungle, the surroundings are deathly silent, but wild beasts might be staring at you from deep in the grass.

zhè shí hòu这时候，suī rán虽然biǎo miàn shàng表面上yī qiè一切zhèng cháng正常，dàn但kōng qì空气lǐ里yǐ jīng已经bēng jǐn绷紧le了xián弦。

At this time, although everything seems normal on the surface, the air is already tense.

suǒ yǐ所以，zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语zuì最kě pà可怕de的dì fāng地方，bù不zài yú在于“wēi jī危机”běn shēn本身，ér而zài yú在于nà ge那个“fú伏”zì字——yīn wèi因为tā它miáo shù描述de的，shì是yī zhǒng一种kàn bú jiàn看不见de的wēi xié威胁。

Therefore, the most terrifying part of this idiom lies not in 危机 itself, but in that character 伏—because what it describes is an invisible threat.

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们，yǒu shí hòu有时候，yǎn jīng眼睛kàn dào看到de的píng jìng平静bìng并bú shì不是zhēn de真的ān quán安全。

It reminds us that sometimes, the calm seen by the eyes is not true safety.

dāng当wǒ men我们yòng用“wēi jī sì fú危机四伏”lái来xíng róng形容yí gè一个huán jìng环境shí时，qí shí其实shì是zài在duì对zì jǐ自己shuō说：yào要xiǎo xīn小心le了，zhēn zhèng真正de的kǎo yàn考验，kě néng可能jiù就zài在xià下yī miǎo一秒。

When we use 危机四伏 to describe an environment, we are actually saying to ourselves: be careful, the real test might be in the next second.

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