大难临头

大難臨頭

dànàn-líntóu

idiom #22,959

Meanings

1 disaster is imminent
2 catastrophe is at hand
3 facing great calamity

Characters

disaster / calamity

to approach / to face

Examples

大难临头，他仍然保持冷静。

Dànànlíntóu, tā réngrán bǎochí lěngjìng.

Even with disaster looming, he remained calm.

大难临头各自飞，人情冷暖见此时。

Dànànlíntóu gèzì fēi, rénqíng lěngnuǎn jiàn cǐshí.

When disaster strikes, each one flies off on their own — human warmth and coldness are revealed at such times.

Tips

usage

Often used in the proverb 大难临头各自飞 (when disaster strikes, each flies their own way), describing how people scatter and abandon each other in a crisis.

Stroke Order

大 dà

难 nán

临 lín

头 tóu