Dictionary › 悬崖勒马

悬崖勒马

xuán yá lè mǎ

4-character word Traditional 懸崖勒馬

What 悬崖勒马 means

1. lit. to rein in the horse at the edge of the precipice (idiom)
2. fig. to act in the nick of time

The characters in 悬崖勒马

• 悬xuánto hang or suspend; to worry; public announcement
• 崖yáprecipice; cliff; Taiwan pr. yái
• 勒lè(literary) bridle; halter; headstall; to rein in; to compel; to force
• 马mǎhorse; horse or cavalry piece in Chinese chess; knight in Western chess

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read xuán yá lè mǎ correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.