居安思危
- Literal
- dwelling in safety, think of danger
- Figurative
- To stay vigilant and guard against danger even when all is well; to not grow complacent in times of peace but prepare for hard times ahead.
Where does 居安思危 come from?
During the Spring and Autumn period, several smaller states submitted and paid tribute to the powerful state of Jin. Grateful, Duke Dao of Jin wished to reward his minister Wei Jiang, whose policy had brought peace. But Wei Jiang declined part of the reward and cautioned the duke by quoting the 《尚书》: "In safety, think of danger; if you think of it, you make ready, and he who is ready suffers no calamity." From this came the principle of never relaxing one's guard in prosperous times. The episode is recorded in the 《左传》, in the eleventh year of Duke Xiang.
Source (出处): 《左传·襄公十一年》
How is 居安思危 used? Two examples
- 公司现在赚钱，但我们要居安思危，多存点钱。
The company is making money now, but we should prepare for harder times and save more.
- 就算考得很好，也要居安思危，继续努力学习。
Even if you did very well on the exam, don't get complacent and keep studying hard.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
