内忧外患

內憂外患

nèiyōu-wàihuàn

idiom

Meanings

晚清政府面临严重的内忧外患。

Wǎn Qīng zhèngfǔ miànlín yánzhòng de nèiyōu-wàihuàn.

The late Qing government faced severe troubles both at home and abroad.

公司内忧外患,几乎到了崩溃的边缘。

Gōngsī nèiyōu-wàihuàn, jīhū dào le bēngkuì de biānyuán.

The company is beset within and without, nearly at the point of collapse.

面对内忧外患,国家需要团结一致。

Miànduì nèiyōu-wàihuàn, guójiā xūyào tuánjié yízhì.

In the face of crises on every side, the nation must unite.

history

From 《国语·晋语六》: 不有外患，必有内忧 — 'if there is no danger from without, there must be trouble within.' The Warring States text first coined the pairing.

Formal, common in history writing, political commentary, and business analysis. The two halves 内忧 + 外患 can also appear separately.

内 nèi

忧 yōu

外 wài

患 huàn