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临终 (lín zhōng) — approaching death; on one's deathbed

Definition

Used as an adjective or adverbial ('approaching death, on one's deathbed'), almost always paired with nouns like 关怀, 遗言, or 前. Refers to the final hours of life, not the broader process of dying.

verb
approaching deathon one's deathbed

Examples

  • 临终。
    Tā lín zhōng qián bǎ cái chǎn fēn gěi le zǐ nǚ.
    He divided his property among his children before his death.
  • 临终。
    Zhè jiā yī yuàn tí gōng lín zhōng guān huái fú wù.
    This hospital provides hospice care services.
  • 临终。
    Lǎo rén lín zhōng shí liú xià le jǐ jù yí yán.
    The old man left a few last words as he was dying.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

临línapproach
终zhōngend

“临” means to approach and “终” means the end, together giving nearing death.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臨; 临 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 臨, 人 is a person, 臣 is an eye, and 品 is objects, showing a person looking down at objects.

Open 临 →

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 終; 终 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
冬
冬dōng終zhōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 終 pairs 糸 (a cord) with 冬 as a sound part; the simplified 终 is a later shorthand. An older form showed a knot at the end of a cord.

Open 终 →
Appears in
Illness & SymptomsLife Stages & Age

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