拼死 (pīn sǐ) — to risk one's life; to fight desperately | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

拼死 (pīn sǐ) is an emphatic verb phrase meaning 'to risk one's life' or 'to fight to the death' — stronger and more literary than 拼命, which leans toward 'desperately/with all one's might' in everyday use.

verb

to risk one's lifeto fight desperately

Examples

拼死。
Zhàn shì men pīn sǐ shǒu wèi zhèn dì.
The soldiers defended the position at the risk of their lives.
拼死。
Tā pīn sǐ yě yào wán chéng zhè ge rèn wu.
He will complete this task even if it costs him his life.
，拼死。
Zài nà chǎng bǐ sài zhōng, tā men pīn sǐ pīn bó dào le zuì hòu yí kè.
In that competition, they fought desperately until the very last moment.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

拼 (risk) and 死 (death) combine: risk death to fight desperately.

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.

扌并拼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

并

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

In 拼, the left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 并 gives the sound.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尸

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Appears in

Safety & Danger

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