当机立断

當機立斷
dāngjī-lìduàn
idiom #35,430

Meanings

  1. 1 to make prompt decisions
  2. 2 to decide on the spot
  3. 3 to act decisively when the moment comes

Examples

Yùdào jǐnjí qíngkuàng yào dāngjī-lìduàn, bùnéng yóuyù.
When faced with an emergency, you must decide on the spot and not hesitate.
Tā dāngjī-lìduàn, juédìng lìkè zhàohuí suǒyǒu chǎnpǐn.
He made a decisive call on the spot: recall all the products immediately.

Tips

history
Seen in Chen Lin's Han-dynasty 《答东阿王笺》: '秉青萍干将之器,拂钟无声,应机立断.' Chen Lin praises a sword so sharp and swift that it severs with a single clean cut - metaphor for decisive judgment.
usage
Positive - admires the ability to seize the moment. Often paired with 果断 (decisive) and contrasted with 犹豫不决 (hesitant and undecided) or 优柔寡断 (vacillating).

Stroke Order

dāng
duàn