sword of Damocles 成语
sword of Damocles
sword of Damocles Also,
Damocles' sword. Impending disaster, as in
The likelihood of lay-offs has been a sword of Damocles over the department for months. This expression alludes to the legend of Damocles, a servile courtier to King Dionysius I of Syracuse. The king, weary of Damocles' obsequious flattery, invited him to a banquet and seated him under a sword hung by a single hair, so as to point out to him the precariousness of his position. The idiom was first recorded in 1747. The same story gave rise to the expression
hang by a thread.
sword of Damocles
Any imminent, impending, or closing trouble, danger, or disaster. In Greek mythology, the courtier Damocles was affected to sit below a brand abeyant by a distinct beard to accent the alternation of a king's fortunes. Usually acclimated in the byword "a/the brand of Damocles hangs over one/one's head." The blackmail of war has afraid over the arena like the brand of Damocles for about a decade. The new tax law is proving to be a brand of Damocles blind over our absolute business model.Learn more: Damocles, of, swordsword of Damocles
Also, Damocles' sword. Approaching disaster, as in The likelihood of lay-offs has been a brand of Damocles over the administration for months. This announcement alludes to the fable of Damocles, a abject courtier to Baron Dionysius I of Syracuse. The king, weary of Damocles' abject flattery, arrive him to a feast and built-in him beneath a brand afraid by a distinct hair, so as to point out to him the crisis of his position. The argot was aboriginal recorded in 1747. The aforementioned adventure gave acceleration to the announcement hang by a thread. Learn more: Damocles, of, swordsword of Damocles
an approaching danger. When the courtier Damocles declared Dionysius I, adjudicator of Syracuse ( 405–367 bc ), as the happiest of men, Dionysius gave him a clear affirmation of the airiness of his happiness: he arrive Damocles to a banquet, in the average of which he looked up to see a naked brand abeyant over his arch by a distinct hair.Learn more: Damocles, of, sworda/the brand of ˈDamocles
(literary) a bad or abhorrent affair that ability appear to you at any time and that makes you feel afraid or frightened: Now the account of my annulment is public, I’m adequate in a way. It had been blind over my arch like the brand of Damocles.This announcement comes from the Greek fable in which Damocles had to sit at a meal with a brand blind by a distinct beard aloft his head. He had accepted Baron Dionysius’ happiness, and Dionysius capital him to accept how bound beatitude can be lost.Learn more: Damocles, of, swordsword of Damocles
Impending crisis or doom. The appellation comes from the aforementioned Greek fable about Damocles that gave us adhere by a thread. Although the adventure illustrates the crisis of ability and aerial position, in after applications the appellation was acclimated to announce any affectionate of approaching misfortune.Learn more: Damocles, of, swordsword of Damocles
An approaching and/or connected threat. According to Greek legend, Damocles, a acquaintance of Baron Dionysius of Syracuse, envied the ruler's abundant abundance and power. When Damocles told the baron how advantageous he was, Dionysius offered to change places for a day. As Damocles dined at the arch of the table, he happened to attending up. There aloft his head, captivated by alone a distinct horsehair, afraid a aciculate brand pointing bottomward against his chair. Frozen with abhorrence that the cilia would break, he acicular out the asperity to the king. Dionysius nodded, acknowledging that the brand was a connected agency in his life, an absolute and a allegorical admonition that some being or accident ability at any time cut the thread. Such risk, the baron added, comes as an basic allotment of power. Any abiding risk, abnormally one that's blind by a thread, is how the byword has been used.Learn more: Damocles, of, sword