How do you use "At death's door" in a sentence?

He was at death's door but pulled through. I'm not at death's door, just got a cold! The doctors said she was at death's door.

At death's door

Q: What does "At death's door" mean?

Extremely ill; close to dying. 'At death's door' means seriously, critically ill—possibly dying. Can be used seriously or with dramatic exaggeration. 'She was at death's door' could be literally true or hyperbolic for bad flu.

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含义: Extremely ill; close to dying.

病入膏肓；濒临死亡。

Gravemente enfermo; al borde de la muerte.

重篤な状態、死に瀕している。

매우 심하게 아픈; 죽음에 가까운 상태.

'At death's door' means seriously, critically ill—possibly dying. Can be used seriously or with dramatic exaggeration. 'She was at death's door' could be literally true or hyperbolic for bad flu.

「at death's door」意思是病情非常严重，可能要死了。可以是认真地说，也可以是夸张的表达。「She was at death's door」可能是真的，也可能只是夸张地说重感冒。

«At death's door» significa estar grave, críticamente enfermo, posiblemente moribundo. Puede usarse en serio o con exageración dramática. «She was at death's door» puede ser literalmente cierto o una hipérbole por una gripe fuerte.

「at death's door」は深刻な重病——死にかけている状態。真剣に使うこともあれば、大げさに誇張して使うこともある。「She was at death's door」は文字通りの場合もあれば、ひどい風邪を大げさに言っている場合もある。

'At death's door'는 심각하게, 위중하게 아픈 상태—죽을 수도 있는 상황을 뜻한다. 진지하게 쓸 수도 있고 과장해서 쓸 수도 있다. 'She was at death's door'는 문자 그대로일 수도 있고, 심한 감기를 과장한 것일 수도 있다.

例句

He was at death's door but pulled through.
他都快不行了，但挺过来了
Estaba a las puertas de la muerte, pero salió adelante
「死にかけていたが持ちこたえた」
죽기 직전이었는데 버텨냈어.
I'm not at death's door, just got a cold!
我又没病入膏肓，就是感冒而已！
¡No me estoy muriendo, solo tengo un resfriado!
「死にそうじゃないよ、ただの風邪だって！」
죽을 것 같은 게 아니야, 그냥 감기야!
The doctors said she was at death's door.
医生说她已经病危了
Los médicos dijeron que estaba al borde de la muerte
「医者が危篤だと言っていた」
의사가 위독하다고 했어.

发音

/ət dɛθs dɔː/

用法指南

语境: serious illness, drama, hyperbole

语气: dramatic, serious or exaggerated

✓ 正确说法

At death's door
病入膏肓
a las puertas de la muerte
死の淵に
죽기 직전이다 (at death's door)
Was at death's door
差点死掉
estaba al borde de la muerte
死にかけていた
죽을 뻔했다 (was at death's door)

✗ 错误说法

Can be hyperbolic—context determines seriousness
可能是夸张——要看上下文判断严重程度
Puede ser una exageración; el contexto determina la gravedad
大げさに使われることがある——文脈で深刻さが決まる
과장되게 쓰일 수 있음—맥락에 따라 심각성이 달라짐

常见错误

Often exaggerated; doesn't always mean literally dying

起源与历史

Imagery of approaching death personified as having a door. Standing at death's door means being on the threshold of dying. Ancient metaphor in English and other languages.

词源: Death personified with a door/threshold

最早记录: Medieval English

文化背景

Era: Medieval onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Universal expression

Regional notes: Universal English.

变体

At death's doorKnocking on death's door