1.
edge of a cliff; brink of a precipice
The physical edge of a cliff or steep drop-off.
崖っぷちに立った。
I stood at the edge of the cliff.
崖っぷちから下を見ると足がすくんだ。
When I looked down from the cliff edge, my legs froze.
子供が崖っぷちに近づかないように柵が設けられた。
A fence was set up so that children wouldn't approach the cliff edge.
2.
critical moment; last chance; do-or-die situation
A figurative sense meaning a desperate or make-or-break situation where failure seems imminent.
チームは崖っぷちに追い込まれた。
The team was pushed to the brink.
崖っぷちの状況で奇跡の逆転を果たした。
They pulled off a miraculous comeback in a do-or-die situation.
会社は経営の崖っぷちに立たされていたが、新しい投資家のおかげで持ち直した。
The company was on the brink of collapse, but recovered thanks to a new investor.
崖っぷち literally means the edge (淵) of a cliff (崖). The っぷち is a colloquial contraction of ぶち, from 淵.
The figurative sense is far more common in everyday use, describing desperate situations where one is about to fail or lose everything.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 崖っぷちに立つ (to stand at the brink)
- 崖っぷちに追い込まれる (to be driven to the brink)
- 崖っぷちの状況 (a do-or-die situation)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 瀬戸際: critical moment, turning point — more formal, used in serious contexts like diplomacy or life-and-death matters
- 土壇場: the last moment — emphasizes being at the very end with no more time