~寸前 (on the verge of)

The Sino-Japanese suffix ~寸前 (すんぜん) attached to a noun or verb stem, meaning 'just before X / on the verge of X / on the brink of X.' Literally 'an inch before' (寸 was a small traditional unit of length, ~3 cm). Describes near-misses and imminent events: 出発寸前 ('right before departure'), 衝突寸前 ('on the verge of collision'), 締め切り寸前 ('just before the deadline'), 倒産寸前 ('on the brink of bankruptcy'). More vivid than English 'about to.'