摇摇欲坠

• Pinyin: yáo yáo yù zhuì
• Hanzi breakdown: 摇摇 = 扌+ 䍃 (repeated shaking motion); 欲 = 谷 (valley — emptiness/longing) + 欠 (to lean forward — on the verge of action); 坠 = 队 (fall in formation) + 土 (earth — falling to the ground)

Meaning

Tottering on the verge of collapse; wobbly and about to fall. Describes something (or someone) in an extremely precarious, unstable state, barely holding together.

A four-character chengyu: 摇摇 (rocking back and forth) + 欲 (on the verge of) + 坠 (to fall/drop). Used for physical structures about to collapse (大楼摇摇欲坠), political regimes on the brink of collapse (政权摇摇欲坠), or people barely able to stand due to exhaustion or injury.

Examples

1. 连续十几天的强降雨使山体严重松动，山坡上的几栋老屋已经摇摇欲坠，政府紧急疏散了周边区域的全部居民。 Days of heavy rain loosened the mountainside badly, and several old houses on the slope were on the verge of collapse, so the government urgently evacuated all nearby residents.
2. 这个曾经在行业内叱咤风云的商业帝国，在经历了一系列重大决策失误和资金链断裂之后，如今已是摇摇欲坠。 This business empire, once dominant in the industry, is now on the brink of collapse after a string of major strategic mistakes and a broken cash flow chain.
3. 他被连续审讯了整整二十四小时，走出审讯室时已经摇摇欲坠，几乎要倒在走廊上，幸好旁边的同事扶住了他。 After being interrogated for a full 24 hours, he staggered out of the room on the verge of collapse and almost fell in the hallway, but thankfully a colleague nearby caught him.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, disaster, business, physical description

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 随着核心管理层相继离职和多个核心业务板块的持续亏损，这家曾经的行业巨头如今已是摇摇欲坠，市场人士普遍预计其破产重组只是时间问题。(As core management resigned one after another and multiple core business segments continued to post losses, this once-dominant industry giant is now tottering on the verge of collapse; market observers generally expect its bankruptcy restructuring to be only a matter of time.)
• 地震后，工程师们对这座摇摇欲坠的历史建筑进行了紧急勘察，最终决定采取临时加固措施，为后续的文物保护修缮工作争取时间。(After the earthquake, engineers conducted an emergency inspection of the tottering historical building and ultimately decided to implement temporary reinforcement measures, buying time for subsequent heritage conservation and restoration work.)

Don't Say

• 他的成绩摇摇欲坠 — 摇摇欲坠 implies imminent physical or institutional collapse; for declining academic performance say 他的成绩急剧下滑 or 他的成绩岌岌可危; 摇摇欲坠 for grades sounds hyperbolic and unnatural

Origin & History

摇摇 (rocking back and forth repeatedly) + 欲 (desiring/about to — 谷 valley + 欠 lean forward; on the verge of an action) + 坠 (to fall — 队 fall + 土 earth; falling to the ground)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal