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摇摇欲坠

搖搖欲墜
yáoyáoyùzhuì
idiom HSK 7 #19,303

Meanings

  1. 1 shaky and about to collapse
  2. 2 tottering on the verge of falling
  3. 3 precarious

Examples

那座老房子已经摇摇欲坠了。
Nà zuò lǎo fángzi yǐjīng yáoyáoyùzhuì le.
That old house is already on the verge of collapsing.
公司的财务状况摇摇欲坠。
Gōngsī de cáiwù zhuàngkuàng yáoyáoyùzhuì.
The company's financial situation is precarious.

Tips

memory
Picture something shaking-shaking (摇摇) and about-to (欲) fall (坠) — like a building swaying in an earthquake, ready to come down.
usage
Used both literally (a structure about to collapse) and figuratively (a regime, business, or relationship on the brink of failure).

Stroke Order

摇 yáo
欲 yù
坠 zhuì