jyun4 ngaai4 lak6 maa5懸崖勒馬悬崖勒马
Definition
To pull back before it is too late; to stop a course of action on the brink of disaster.
How it's used
This idiom carries a strong sense of urgency and moral warning, often used when someone is on a dangerous path or making a series of bad choices. It implies that the person still has a brief window of opportunity to reverse course before the consequences become irreversible. Unlike simple warnings, it emphasizes the gravity of the situation by using the imagery of a horse teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of horse riding. It is strictly a metaphorical expression used for abstract situations like bad habits, criminal behavior, or poor business decisions, and should not be used to describe actual physical danger.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
