悬崖勒马 in English xuan2 ya2 le4 ma3 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to rein in the horse at the edge of the precipice (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to act in the nick of time

Simplified Characters

悬 崖 勒 马

Traditional Characters

懸 崖 勒 馬

Pinyin

xuan2 ya2 le4 ma3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

悬xuan2to hang or suspend 崖ya2precipice 勒lei1to rein in 马ma3surname Ma