如临大敌

如臨大敵
rúlín-dàdí
idiom #65,927

Meanings

  1. 1 as if facing a powerful enemy
  2. 2 to be on high alert
  3. 3 to take extreme precautions

Examples

HSK 7-9
Kǎoshì dàngtiān, quánxiào rúlíndàdí, qìfēn jǐnzhāng.
On exam day the whole school was on high alert, the atmosphere tense.
HSK 7-9
Zǒngtǒng fǎngwèn qījiān, jǐngchá rúlíndàdí, fēngsuǒ le zhěng tiáo jiē.
During the president's visit, police were on maximum alert and sealed off the entire street.
HSK 7-9
Bù jiùshì ge miànshì ma, hébì rúlíndàdí?
It's just an interview - why are you treating it like the end of the world?

Tips

history
Recorded in Wu Jianren's 《二十年目睹之怪现状》 (late Qing): visitors arrive at a government office to find soldiers stationed everywhere, the place 'as if facing a great enemy'. Captures the bureaucratic-paranoid atmosphere precisely.
usage
Often slightly mocking - implies the precautions are excessive for the actual threat. Use it to point out overreaction as well as legitimate high alert.

Stroke Order

lín