当机立断

當機立斷
dāngjīlìduàn
idiom #35,430

Meanings

  1. 1 to make prompt decisions
  2. 2 to decide on the spot
  3. 3 to act decisively when the moment comes

Examples

Yùdào jǐnjí qíngkuàng yào dāngjīlìduàn, bùnéng yóuyù.
When faced with an emergency, you must decide on the spot and not hesitate.
Tā dāngjīlìduàn, juédìng lìkè zhàohuí suǒyǒu chǎnpǐn.
He made a decisive call on the spot: recall all the products immediately.

Tips

history
Seen in Chen Lin's Han-dynasty 《》: '无声。' Chen Lin praises a sword so sharp and swift that it severs with a single clean cut — metaphor for decisive judgment.
usage
Positive — admires the ability to seize the moment. Often paired with 果断 (decisive) and contrasted with 犹豫不决 (hesitant and undecided) or 优柔寡断 (vacillating).

Stroke Order

dāng
duàn