迫在眉睫

pòzàiméijié

idiom #21,208

Meanings

1 imminent
2 pressing
3 urgent / right on one's doorstep

Characters

press / force / urgent

Examples

截止日期迫在眉睫，大家都加班加点。

Jiézhǐ rìqī pò zài méi jié, dàjiā dōu jiābān jiādiǎn.

The deadline is imminent and everyone is working overtime.

危机迫在眉睫，必须立刻采取行动。

Wēijī pò zài méi jié, bìxū lìkè cǎiqǔ xíngdòng.

The crisis is pressing — action must be taken immediately.

Tips

memory

Literally 'pressing on the eyebrows and eyelashes' — imagine a threat so close it's touching your face. That visceral image captures how imminent and unavoidable it is.

Stroke Order

迫 pò

在 zài

眉 méi

睫 jié