on the brink of
on the brink of は英検1級レベルの英単語で、「〜の瀬戸際に」という意味があります。発音記号は /ɑn ðə ˈbrɪŋk əv/ です。
〜の瀬戸際に
解説 Definition
大きな出来事や重大な変化が起こる直前の、きわめて差し迫った状態を表す表現。危機や破綻など悪い出来事に使われることが多いが、成功や発見のような重要な転機の直前を示す場合にも用いられる。
If someone or something is on the brink of something, they are very close to an important change, often a dangerous or serious one. It is commonly used with words like disaster, collapse, war, or success. The phrase gives a strong sense that something may happen very soon.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
brink はまず easy な edge（縁）に近い語として覚えるとよいです。on the brink of ... は「ある出来事の edge にいる」感覚で、almost there だがまだ起きていない段階。特に crisis, collapse, war など重大で緊迫した語と結びつきやすく、on the verge of よりも切迫感が強め。a company on the brink of bankruptcy のように、悪い事態の直前を思い浮かべると定着しやすいです。
"Brink" is close to "edge" in meaning, so picture yourself standing at the edge of something. You are extremely close, but not over it yet. It often goes with serious nouns like "collapse," "war," or "bankruptcy," which makes the phrase easier to remember.
例文
The country was on the brink of economic collapse before international aid arrived.
国際援助が届く前、その国は経済崩壊の瀬戸際にあった。
Several species are on the brink of extinction because of habitat loss.
生息地の喪失により、いくつかの種が絶滅の瀬戸際にある。
The negotiations were on the brink of failure when a last-minute compromise was proposed.
土壇場で妥協案が示されたとき、交渉は決裂の瀬戸際にあった。
on the brink of の類義語・関連語
対義語
on the brink of の語源・成り立ち Etymology
brink は中期オランダ語・低地ドイツ語系で「縁・土手」。on the brink of は「端に立つ」情景から「瀬戸際」の意になり、同語からの brinkmanship も「崖っぷち外交」で切迫感を保っています。
"Brink" came into English from Middle Dutch or Low German, where it meant an edge, bank, or rim. The phrase originally gives the picture of standing at the very edge of something. From that physical image, it came to mean being very close to an important or dangerous moment.
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