on the verge of; on the brink of
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 5 examplesverb
on the verge of; on the brink of
formalUsed exclusively for undesirable, negative, or critical situations. Often follows nouns like 崩溃, 死亡, 失败. Less commonly used in casual, everyday speech.
Zhè这
jiā家
gōng公
sī司
yóu由
yú于
jīng经
yíng营
bù不
shàn善
，
bīn濒
yú于
pò破
chǎn产
。
Due to poor management, this company is on the brink of bankruptcy.
Lián连
xù续
sān三
nián年
de的
gān干
hàn旱
shǐ使
zhè这
ge个
cūn村
zhuāng庄
bīn濒
yú于
jué绝
wàng望
。
Three consecutive years of drought have left this village on the verge of despair.
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Tán谈
pàn判
shī失
bài败
hòu后
，
liǎng两
guó国
guān关
xì系
bīn濒
yú于
pò破
liè裂
。
After the failure of negotiations, the relationship between the two countries is on the verge of breaking down.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
zhēn珍
xī稀
dòng动
wù物
yīn因
qī栖
xī息
dì地
sàng丧
shī失
ér而
bīn濒
yú于
miè灭
jué绝
。
This rare animal is on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss.
Tā他
de的
jiàn健
kāng康
zhuàng状
kuàng况
zhèng正
bīn濒
yú于
wēi危
jìng境
。
His health is in a critical state, on the verge of danger.