火烧眉毛

huǒ  shāo  méimáo

Eyebrows on fire — desperately urgent

Today we’ll learn a Chinese proverb which is often used to ask for a pressing need to solve the urgent problem without delay.

What will you do if a fire is buring your eyebrow?  Since the eyebrows (眉毛méimáo) are immediately above the eyes (眼 yǎn), when the eyebrows are on fire (火huǒ), the eyes are in immediate danger.

—- 火huǒ, FIRE

—- 烧shāo, BURN

—- 眉毛méimáo, EYEBROW

This idiom is used when the circumstances have become desperately urgent and one must solve the most pressing problem, leaving aside other, less-important business. Sometimes it can also refer to shortsightedness, i.e. paying attention only to the resent, without any consideration for the future.

For example:

Míngtiān jiù kǎoshì， dōu huǒ shāo méimáo le.
 

明天        就    考试,          都  火      烧       眉毛  了。

Tomorrow is for the examination. It is so urgent just like eyebrows on fire.

Nǐ bù hǎohǎo fùxí， hái xiǎng qù kàn  diànyǐng ？

你  不    好好    复习,    还    想   去    看    电影？

Why are you thinking of seeing a film, rather than staying home for a complete review of the lessons?