危如累卵

Chinese

	danger; to endanger	as (if); such as	delicate balancing act
trad. (危如累卵)	危	如	累卵
simp. ^#(危如累卵)	危	如	累卵
Literally: “as precarious as a vertical pile of eggs”.

Etymology

From Han Feizi, Chapter 10 (《韓非子·十過》):

故曹小國也。而迫於晉、楚之間。其君之危猶累卵也。而以無禮蒞之。此所以絕世也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

故曹小国也。而迫于晋、楚之间。其君之危犹累卵也。而以无礼莅之。此所以绝世也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Han Feizi, circa 2^nd century BCE, translated based on W. K. Liao's version

Gù Cáo xiǎoguó yě. Ér pò yú Jìn, Chǔ zhī jiān. Qí jūn zhī wēi yóu lěi luǎn yě. Ér yǐ wúlǐ lì zhī. Cǐ suǒyǐ juéshì yě. [Pinyin]

Thus, Cao was a small state pressed between Jin and Chu. Its ruler was in constant danger as piled eggs are, but he accorded the Prince of Qin such a discourteous reception. This was the reason why his posterity was wiped out.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wēirúlěiluǎn, wéirúlěiluǎn

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄟㄖㄨˊ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄨㄢˇ, ㄨㄟˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄨㄢˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ngai⁴ jyu⁴ leoi⁵ leon²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wēirúlěiluǎn [Phonetic: wēirúléiluǎn]
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄟㄖㄨˊ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄨㄢˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: weirúlěiluǎn
  - Wade–Giles: wei¹-ju²-lei³-luan³
  - Yale: wēi-rú-lěi-lwǎn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ueiruleeiloan
  - Palladius: вэйжулэйлуань (vɛjžulɛjluanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯⁵⁵ ʐu³⁵ leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan; dated variant in Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wéirúlěiluǎn [Phonetic: wéirúléiluǎn]
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˊ ㄖㄨˊ ㄌㄟˇ ㄌㄨㄢˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wéirúlěiluǎn
  - Wade–Giles: wei²-ju²-lei³-luan³
  - Yale: wéi-rú-lěi-lwǎn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: weiruleeiloan
  - Palladius: вэйжулэйлуань (vɛjžulɛjluanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯³⁵ ʐu³⁵ leɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lu̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: ngai⁴ jyu⁴ leoi⁵ leon²
  - Yale: ngàih yùh léuih léun
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ngai⁴ jy⁴ loey⁵ loen²
  - Guangdong Romanization: ngei⁴ yu⁴ lêu⁵ lên²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɐi̯²¹ jyː²¹ lɵy̯¹³ lɵn³⁵/

Idiom

危如累卵

extremely dangerous; extremely precarious

Synonyms

岌岌可危 (jíjíkěwēi)
危在旦夕 (wēizàidànxī)