居安思危 jū’ān-sīwēi to think of danger in times of safety
to think of danger in times of safety; to be vigilant in peacetime (idiom)
How to remember 居安思危: 居 to live + 安 peace + 思 think + 危 dangerous = to think of danger in times of safety.
Characters
How it is used
- Idiom: stay alert to danger even in safe times - 我们要居安思危,提前做好准备 (wǒmen yào jū'ān-sīwēi, tíqián zuò hǎo zhǔnbèi) we must stay vigilant in good times and prepare in advance.
- A classic four-character exhortation, common in speeches, management, and editorials as advice to a group or organization not to grow complacent.
- Often paired with 未雨绸缪 (wèiyǔ-chóumóu, prepare before it rains); 居安思危 is the mindset, 未雨绸缪 the concrete preparing.