cliff-hanger (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict[cliff-hanger 词源字典]
also cliffhanger, "suspenseful situation," 1937, in reference to U.S. cinema serials, agent noun from cliff + agent noun from hang (v.). In some cases, especially Westerns, the hero or heroine literally was dangling from a cliff at the end of an episode.[cliff-hanger etymology, cliff-hanger origin, 英语词源]