brink of death; verge of survival
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
the brink of death; the verge of survival; critical threshold between life and death
formalOften used metaphorically to describe extremely dangerous situations, severe illness, famine, or war zones where survival is threatened. Frequently appears in the phrase '在死亡线上挣扎'.
Zài在
sǐ死
wáng亡
xiàn线
shàng上
zhēng挣
zhá扎
Struggling on the brink of death.
Yī医
shēng生
bǎ把
tā他
cóng从
sǐ死
wáng亡
xiàn线
shàng上
lā拉
le了
huí回
lái来
。
The doctor pulled him back from the verge of death.
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Zhè这
gè个
dì地
qū区
de的
rén人
mín民
cháng长
qī期
zhēng挣
zhá扎
zài在
jī饥
è饿
hé和
sǐ死
wáng亡
xiàn线
shàng上
。
The people of this region have long been struggling on the brink of starvation and death.
Jīng经
lì历
le了
zhè这
chǎng场
dà大
bìng病
，
tā他
gǎn感
jué觉
zì自
jǐ己
yóu游
zǒu走
zài在
sǐ死
wáng亡
xiàn线
shàng上
。
After surviving this serious illness, he felt as though he had been walking the line between life and death.