朝不保夕 zhāo bù bǎo xī — in a precarious state; unable to be sure of even the near future

朝不保夕
zhāo bù bǎo xī

Characters: 朝 · 不 · 保 · 夕

Definitions

  1. in a precarious state; unable to be sure of even the near future

More definitions

CC-CEDICT

  1. at dawn, not sure of lasting to evening (idiom)
  2. precarious state
  3. imminent crisis
  4. living from hand to mouth

ExtDict

  1. 早晨不能知道晚上会变成什么样子或发生什么情况。形容形势危急，难以预料。

Examples

  • 战乱之年，百姓朝不保夕。

    In the war years, the people lived from hand to mouth, never sure of the morrow.

  • 这家企业负债累累，已是朝不保夕。

    Burdened with debt, the company was living on the brink.