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杀生 (shā shēng) — the act of killing (living beings); the taking of life (especially in Buddhist ethics)

Definition

A Buddhist / ethical term for the act of killing a living being, often used in the fixed phrase 不杀生 ('do not kill'). Distinguish from 杀人, which refers specifically to killing a person.

noun
the act of killing (living beings)the taking of life (especially in Buddhist ethics)

Examples

  • 杀生。
    Tā jiān chí bù shā shēng de yuán zé.
    He adheres to the principle of not killing.
  • 杀生。
    Fó jiào tú zūn shǒu bù shā shēng de jiè lǜ.
    Buddhists observe the precept of not killing.
  • 杀生。
    Zhè ge sì miào de sēng lǚ cóng bù shā shēng.
    The monks at this temple never kill living beings.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

杀shākill
生shēnglife

杀 means to kill and 生 means life or living beings, so together they denote taking life.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殺; 杀 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 殺 comes from an old drawing of a boar impaled in the head, with 人 and 又 added to show a person doing the killing; the simplified 杀 is a later abbreviation.

Open 杀 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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