濒临

瀕臨

bīnlín

verb #11,305

Meanings

大熊猫曾经濒临灭绝。

Dàxióngmāo céngjīng bīnlín mièjué.

Giant pandas were once on the verge of extinction.

这家公司濒临破产。

Zhèjiā gōngsī bīnlín pòchǎn.

This company is on the brink of bankruptcy.

usage

濒临 almost always precedes something negative: 濒临灭绝 (extinction), 濒临破产 (bankruptcy), 濒临崩溃 (collapse). It implies being dangerously close.

memory

Water's edge (濒) + to approach (临) = standing at the water's edge, about to fall in. On the very brink.

濒 bīn

临 lín