捐躯 (juān qū) — to sacrifice one's life (for a cause or country)

Definition

A formal, literary verb meaning 'to sacrifice one's life' for a noble cause such as country or revolution — much more elevated and written than everyday words like 死.

verb
to sacrifice one's life (for a cause or country)

Examples

  • ，。
    Xǔ duō zhàn shì wèi guó juān qū, wǒ men yǒng yuǎn bú huì wàng jì tā men.
    Many soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country; we will never forget them.
  • 捐躯。
    Tā wèi le gé mìng shì yè yīng yǒng juān qū.
    He bravely sacrificed his life for the revolutionary cause.
  • ，。
    Zhè wèi liè shì juān chū le zì jǐ de shēn qū, wèi guó juān qū.
    This martyr gave his body, sacrificing his life for the country.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

捐juāngive up
躯qūbody

捐 means to give up and 躯 means the body, so the action is to give up one's 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
肙
肙yuān捐juān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 扌, from 手, shows a hand doing something. The right side 肙 gives the sound yuān.

Open 捐 →

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 軀; 躯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
身身shēnbody
Sound part声符shēngfú
區
區qū軀qū
Same sound today

The traditional form 軀 puts 身, a body, beside 區, which gives the sound. The simplified 躯 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 躯 →

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