xuán悬hangingyá崖clifflè勒reinmǎ马horse
To rein in the horse at the edge of a precipice; to come to a sudden realization before it's too late.
Literal meaning
hanging (悬) — cliff (崖) — rein (勒) — horse (马)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase.
Examples
Tā他chà差diǎn点fàn犯le了dà大cuò错，xìng幸hǎo好xuán悬yá崖lè勒mǎ马。
He almost made a big mistake, but fortunately he reined himself in at the last moment.
Zài在tóu投zī资shī失bài败hòu后，tā他jí及shí时xuán悬yá崖lè勒mǎ马，bì避miǎn免le了gèng更dà大de的sǔn损shī失。
After a failed investment, he pulled back in time and avoided greater losses.
Usage & nuances
Implies a timely and crucial intervention to prevent a disaster.
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