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偿命 (cháng mìng) — to pay with one's life; a life for a life

Definition

Literary/lawful phrase meaning to pay with one's life, as in 'a life for a life'. Appears in legal, historical, or set-phrase contexts (血债血偿), not in daily speech.

verb
to pay with one's lifea life for a life

Examples

  • 偿命。
    Gǔ dài fǎ lǜ cháng guī dìng shā rén bì xū cháng mìng.
    Ancient laws often stipulated that killing must be repaid with a life.
  • ，。
    Tā yīn wèi shā le rén, zuì hòu cháng le mìng.
    Because he killed someone, he ended up paying with his life.
  • “”偿命。
    Nà jù "xuè zhài xuè cháng" de yì si jiù shì yào rén cháng mìng.
    The saying 'blood debt must be repaid with blood' means a person must pay with their life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

偿chángrepay
命mìnglife

偿 “repay” + 命 “life” = repay a life with one's own 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 償; 偿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
賞
賞shǎng償cháng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 償 pairs 亻 (person) with 賞 as the sound part; the simplified 偿 is a later shorthand, not a historical component breakdown.

Open 偿 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceLaw & Justice

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