precarious

• adj. 危险的；不确定的

来自拉丁语precarius,乞求，恳求，乞怜而得，来自拉丁语precari,乞求，要求，恳求，来自PIE*prek,要求，恳求，词源同deprecate,pray.引申词义寄人篱下的，依附于人的，不稳的，危险的等。

1. affording no ease or reassurance;

"a precarious truce"

2. fraught with danger;

"dangerous waters"

"a parlous journey on stormy seas"

"a perilous voyage across the Atlantic in a small boat"

"the precarious life of an undersea diver"

"dangerous surgery followed by a touch-and-go recovery"

3. dangerously insecure;

"a precarious footing on the ladder"

4. not secure; beset with difficulties;

"a shaky marriage"

precarious

precarious: [17] Precarious comes from Latin precārius (source also of English prayer), which meant ‘obtained by asking or praying’. It was originally used in English as a legal term, in which ‘obtained by asking’ had undergone a slight change in focus to ‘held through the favour of another’. This introduced the notion that the favour might be withdrawn, and that the possession was therefore uncertain, and so the adjective soon came to be used for ‘depending on chance or caprice’ and, in the 18th century, ‘risky’.

Latin precārius was derived from prex ‘prayer’, a close relative of precārī ‘ask, entreat, pray’, from which English gets pray.
=> pray

precarious (adj.)

1640s, a legal word, "held through the favor of another," from Latin precarius "obtained by asking or praying," from prex (genitive precis) "entreaty, prayer" (see pray). Notion of "dependent on the will of another" led to extended sense "risky, dangerous, uncertain" (1680s). "No word is more unskillfully used than this with its derivatives. It is used for uncertain in all its senses; but it only means uncertain, as dependent on others ..." [Johnson]. Related: Precariously; precariousness.

He earned a precarious living as an artist.

作为一个艺术家，他过的是朝不保夕的生活。

牛津词典

The museum is in a financially precarious position.

这家博物馆的财政状况不稳定。

牛津词典

That ladder looks very precarious.

那梯子看来摇摇晃晃的。

牛津词典

The path down to the beach is very precarious in wet weather.

通往海滨的小路雨天非常湿滑危险。

牛津词典

The economy is precariously close to recession.

经济濒于衰退的边缘。

牛津词典

He balanced the glass precariously on the arm of his chair.

他把杯子放在椅子的扶手上，随时可能摔下。

牛津词典

Our financial situation had become precarious.

我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

...the Government's precarious position.

政府的危险处境

柯林斯高阶英语词典

They looked rather comical as they crawled up precarious ladders.

他们顺着摇摇晃晃的梯子往上爬，看起来非常滑稽。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He took advantage of other's precarious position to steal. It's shameful.

他乘人之危进行偷盗,真是太可耻了.

期刊摘选

They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps.

他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活.

《简明英汉词典》

But that sense of increasing physical security remains precarious, and psychological security is something else.

但是这种正在增强的物理安全仍是摇摇欲坠的, 而心理安全则是另一码事.

期刊摘选

A soldier leads a very precarious life.

军人过着非常危险的生活.

《简明英汉词典》

To abolish casualisation, temporary and precarious work.

撤销散工、临时工及不固定的工作.

期刊摘选

The financial situation for the automakers grows more precarious by the day.

按日计算的汽车制造商的财务状态变得更加不确定.

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They were going to cross a precarious suspension bridge.

他们要渡过一些危险的吊桥.

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A precarious solution a difficult proBlem.

我拒绝考虑对我们问题的那样一种解决方法.

期刊摘选

Low level of development and a precarious life.

发展水平低下,人民生活朝不保夕.

期刊摘选

The climber had only a precarious hold on the slippery rock.

爬山者不牢靠地抓住了光滑的岩石.

期刊摘选

On either side furniture was piled in high, precarious heaps.

两边的家具都堆高了, 很不稳固.

期刊摘选

They are being pressed by several creditors and their position precarious . Caution is advisable.

他们正被几个授权人逼迫,自己的立场也很危险.

期刊摘选

Even in much of young, vigorous developing Asia the boom seems too precarious for triumphalism.

即使在这个年轻 、 充满活力的亚洲,人们也无法对这可能不太稳定的繁荣局面喜出望外.

期刊摘选

Our financial situation is still precarious if we postpone the release of the new product.

如果我们推迟发布新产品的话,我们的财政状况仍然岌岌可危.

期刊摘选

Did he gain his precarious bread petty trade, by menial toil, by violence, or by theft?

他究竟是在做小生意, 当奴仆, 还是靠打家劫舍来获得朝不保夕的口粮 呢 ?

期刊摘选

By now , Chrysler's problems were so serious that our precarious position was well known.

这个时候, 克莱斯勒公司的问题变得十分严重,我们的危险境况已经是路人皆知.

辞典例句

The situation of some schools is quite precarious.

一些学校的情况非常危险.

期刊摘选

Approaches as history recording , cause analysis and prediction means could be applied tothe regional precarious disasters.

区域灾害识别可采用历史记录法 、 成因分析法、预测法等方法.

期刊摘选

Even when I was holding onto a towel rack , the situation felt precarious.

当我即使只是拿着一个毛巾架的时候, 蹲着我还是觉得有些危险.

期刊摘选