坐以待毙 (zuò yǐ dài bì) — to sit back and wait for death; to take no acti…

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'to sit and wait for death' — i.e., doing nothing while doom approaches. Used to criticize passivity, urging action instead.

idiom

to sit back and wait for deathto take no action in the face of danger, passively accepting defeat or doom

，坐以待毙。
Gōng sī rú guǒ zài bù gǎi gé, jiù zhǐ néng zuò yǐ dài bì le.
If the company doesn't reform, it can only sit back and wait for death.
坐以待毙，。
Wǒ men bù néng zuò yǐ dài bì, bì xū zhǔ dòng chū jī.
We cannot sit back and wait for death; we must take the initiative to attack.
，坐以待毙。
Yù dào kùn nan yào jī jí jiě jué, bú yào zuò yǐ dài bì.
When encountering difficulties, actively solve them — don't sit back and wait for death.

Characters in this word

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

The form 坐 combines 留, 'to stay', and 土, 'ground'.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape came from a drawing of a person carrying something; in 以, part of that person is still visible on the right.

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

彳寺待

Meaning part形符xíngfú

彳彳chì

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

寺sì待dài

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

待 is built from 彳 on the left and 寺 on the right; 彳 is tied to the meaning, and 寺 gives the sound.

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 斃; 毙 is its simplified writing.

敝死斃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

死死sǐdeath

Sound part声符shēngfú

敝

Same sound today

The traditional form 斃 combines 死, meaning death, with 敝, which gives the sound. The simplified 毙 is a later shorthand.

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