就义 (jiù yì) — to die a martyr (for a righteous cause)

Definition

Literary verb meaning to die as a martyr for a just cause — used almost exclusively in writing about revolutionary heroes, not for ordinary death. Pairs naturally with 烈士 ('martyr').

verb
to die a martyr (for a righteous cause)

Examples

  • 就义。
    Tā wèi le gé mìng zhuàng liè jiù yì.
    He died a martyr for the revolution.
  • 。
    Nà xiē yīng xióng zài yù zhōng yīng yǒng jiù le yì.
    Those heroes died a martyr bravely in prison.
  • 就义。
    jiù yì De liè shì men yǒng yuǎn bèi rén mín míng jì.
    The martyrs who died for the cause are forever remembered by the people.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

就jiùtake up
义yìrighteousness

就 means to take up or face, and 义 means righteousness; together they mean dying for a righteous cause.

Characters in this word

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

An older form paired 享, a temple, with 京, a tower, showing sacrifice at a high place; in 就 the temple part was dropped and a right part for going upward was added.

Open 就 →

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 義; 义 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ義yì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 義 has 我 giving the sound and 羊 meaning good or auspicious; the simplified 义 is a later abbreviation.

Open 义 →

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