危き急きゅう存そん亡ぼう

き

きゅ

う

そ

ん

ぼ

う

Meanings

noun

life-or-death crisis; critical moment of survival

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A formal, somewhat literary yojijukugo used to describe a situation where the very existence or survival of a person, group, or nation is at stake. Often appears in historical or dramatic contexts.

その国くには危き急きゅう存そん亡ぼうの時ときに立たたされていた。
The nation was facing a life-or-death crisis.
危き急きゅう存そん亡ぼうの秋ときに、彼かれは冷れい静せいな判はん断だんを下くだした。
At this critical moment of survival, he made a calm decision.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

危dangerous, fear, uneasy
急hurry, emergency, sudden
存exist, suppose, be aware of
亡deceased, the late, dying

Related words

存そん亡ぼう
存亡 alone means 'existence or extinction; life or death', but 危急存亡 emphasizes the urgency and crisis aspect.
危き機き
危機 is a more common word for 'crisis', while 危急存亡 is a stronger, more dramatic expression specifically about survival.

Word family

危き急きゅう存そん亡ぼうの秋とき
crisis; critical moment; moment of truth

Built from

危き急きゅう+存そん亡ぼう

Etymology

Drawn from the classical Chinese phrase 危急存亡之秋, “a critical moment determining survival or destruction,” famously used in 諸葛亮’s 出師表. It combines 危急 “grave crisis” with 存亡 “survival or extinction.”