在千钧一发之际

Traditional form:

在千鈞一髮之際

Pinyin (reading):

zàiqiānjūnyīfàzhījì

Definitions:

• at the critical moment; in the nick of time

Characters:

• 在 - at, in, on; to exist; used to indicate the present progressive tense
• 千 - thousand; many, numerous; very
• 钧 - unit of weight equal to thirty catties; your (formal)
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 发 - to issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 际 - border, boundary, juncture

Traditional characters:

• 在 - at, in, on; to exist; used to indicate the present progressive tense
• 千 - thousand; many, numerous; very
• 鈞 - unit of weight equal to thirty catties; your (formal)
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 髮 - to issue, to dispatch, to send out; hair
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 際 - border, boundary, juncture