Chinese word

死

Pronunciation

Pinyinsǐ

Meaning

  • verbdie

Example

他昨天死了。tā zuó tiān sǐ le

He died yesterday.

Illustration for 死 (die)

More examples

那只小猫死了，大家很难过。nà zhǐ xiǎo māo sǐ le dà jiā hěn nán guò

The little kitten died, and everyone was very sad.

Core concept

Life's processes go completely quiet in one body, ending its ability to act or remain aware.

Common phrases

  • 饿死了è sǐ le

    be very hungry

  • 累死了lèi sǐ le

    be worn out

  • 渴死了ké sǐ le

    be very thirsty

Similar words

去世qù shì: To pass away, using a considerate expression for death from age or illness.
过世guò shì: To pass away, using a considerate expression suited to reporting a death.
死亡sǐ wáng: To die, stated in a serious and formal way as life ends.
死掉sǐ diào: To die, with everyday speech highlighting the result of being dead.

Definition in Chinese

表示生物体的生命活动彻底停止，个体不再有意识和生理功能，不能继续存活。biǎo shì shēng wù tǐ de shēng mìng huó dòng chè dǐ tíng zhǐ gè tǐ bú zài yǒu yì shí hé shēng lǐ gōng néng bù néng jì xù cún huó

Word origin

The character 死 (sǐ, "die") grew from an ancient image of a person beside bones, preserving a visual link between its shape and life's end.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, this verb can appear in dramatic overstatements about tiredness, fear, or laughter, so context shows whether a literal death is meant.

Other meanings

  • deathnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word