千钧一发

• Pinyin: qiān jūn yī fà
• Hanzi breakdown: 千 = 十 + 人 (thousand); 钧 = 钅(metal) + 匀 (even) (ancient weight unit); 一 = horizontal stroke (one); 发 = 癶 + 弓 + 殳 (hair/emit)

Meaning

Hanging by a thread; a critical, extremely dangerous moment. Describes a situation of extreme peril where catastrophe hinges on the thinnest margin.

A four-character idiom from classical Chinese. 钧 is an ancient unit of weight (30 jin ≈ 15 kg); the image of 1,000 钧 suspended by a single hair evokes imminent catastrophe. Used in news, literature, and speech to dramatise moments of extreme crisis or narrow escape.

Examples

1. 消防员在千钧一发之际将被困在三楼的老人成功救出，此时楼板已开始大面积坍塌。 At the critical last second, the firefighter rescued the elderly man trapped on the third floor, just as the floor was beginning to collapse over a wide area.
2. 谈判代表在千钧一发的最后关头提出了新方案，双方才得以化解持续数月的外交僵局。 At the last possible moment in the negotiations, the representative proposed a new plan, and only then were the two sides able to break a diplomatic stalemate that had lasted for months.
3. 飞行员凭借过硬的技术和冷静的判断，在千钧一发之际稳住了发动机故障的飞机，避免了一场惨烈空难。 Relying on strong skills and calm judgment, the pilot stabilized the plane with an engine failure at the critical moment, preventing a disastrous air crash.

Usage Guide

Context: emergency, crisis, rescue, diplomacy

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 在千钧一发的危急时刻，特警队员毫不犹豫地冲入浓烟弥漫的建筑内，将最后一名人质安全救出。(At the most critical moment, hanging by a thread, the SWAT officers charged without hesitation into the smoke-filled building and safely rescued the last hostage.)
• 股市在千钧一发之际得到了国家队的强力介入，才避免了一场可能波及实体经济的系统性金融危机。(The stock market, at a perilous turning point, received powerful intervention from national-level funds, thereby averting a systemic financial crisis that could have rippled into the real economy.)

Don't Say

• 这道题千钧一发地难 — 千钧一发 describes a moment of extreme danger or crisis, not degree of difficulty; use 难如登天/极其困难 for difficulty

Origin & History

千 (thousand) + 钧 (ancient weight unit, ~15 kg) + 一 (one) + 发 (hair) — a thousand jun hanging by a single hair; extreme danger

Cultural Context

Era: Classical origin, modern use

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal