急中生智

jízhōngshēngzhì
idiom #51,844

Meanings

  1. 1 to come up with a clever idea in a crisis
  2. 2 quick-witted in an emergency
  3. 3 necessity sparks ingenuity

Examples

Tā jízhōngshēngzhì, yòng zhuōbù pūmiè le huǒmiáo.
Thinking quickly in the crisis, he smothered the flames with a tablecloth.
Miànduì tūfā qíngkuàng, tā jízhōngshēngzhì huàjiě le wēixiǎn.
Faced with an emergency, she came up with a clever idea on the spot and defused the danger.

Tips

memory
Literally 'in urgency, wisdom is born' — pressure squeezes out an idea that wouldn't have come otherwise.

Stroke Order

zhōng
shēng
zhì