befall; (of something bad) come upon
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
(of a difficulty, disaster, or misfortune) to befall one; to come upon one
formalUsed almost exclusively for negative events or crises that are imminent or have just happened. Often appears in set phrases like "大祸临头" or "事到临头".
Tā他
méi没
xiǎng想
dào到
dà大
huò祸
lín临
tóu头
，
gōng公
sī司
yī一
yè夜
zhī之
jiān间
pò破
chǎn产
le了
。
He didn't expect disaster to befall him—the company went bankrupt overnight.
Shì事
dào到
lín临
tóu头
，
tā他
cái才
fā发
xiàn现
zì自
jǐ己
háo毫
wú无
zhǔn准
bèi备
。
When the moment of crisis arrived, he realized he was completely unprepared.
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Kǎo考
shì试
lín临
tóu头
，
tā他
hái还
zài在
wán玩
yóu游
xì戏
。
With the exam upon him, he was still playing video games.
Yǎn眼
kàn看
wēi危
xiǎn险
lín临
tóu头
，
dà大
jiā家
gǎn赶
jǐn紧
chè撤
lí离
le了
xiàn现
chǎng场
。
Seeing danger imminent, everyone quickly evacuated the scene.