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丧生 (sàng shēng) — to lose one's life (in an accident, disaster, or violent event)

Definition

Means 'to lose one's life' in an accident, disaster, or violent event — like the plane crash or flood in the examples. Unlike 去世 or 逝世 (natural passing, especially of respected people), 丧生 implies a sudden, external cause.

verb
to lose one's life (in an accident, disaster, or violent event)

Examples

  • ，丧生。
    Zài nà cì kōng nàn zhōng, jìn bǎi rén sàng shēng.
    Nearly a hundred people lost their lives in that plane crash.
  • 丧生。
    Zhè chǎng hóng shuǐ dǎo zhì duō rén sàng shēng.
    This flood caused many people to lose their lives.
  • ，丧生。
    Yóu yú huǒ zāi, sān míng jū mín bú xìng sàng shēng.
    Due to the fire, three residents sadly lost their lives.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

丧sànglose
生shēnglife

丧 (lose) and 生 (life) combine to mean losing one's life.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 喪; 丧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
㗊㗊㗊many mouths
Sound part声符shēngfú
桑
桑sāng喪sàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 喪 originally paired 桑 (mulberry tree) with 㗊 (many mouths). The simplified 丧 is the modern form, deriving from a form that used 哭 (cry) and 亡 (die).

Open 丧 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Safety & Danger

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