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死去活来 (sǐ qù huó lái) — (figurative) to be in extreme distress; to be heartbroken or devastated; (literal) to hover between life and death; to be at death's door

Definition

An idiom for extreme emotional or physical distress — 'in terrible agony / crying one's heart out.' Almost always follows a verb (e.g. 哭得、痛得) to intensify the feeling, not a literal medical state.

idiom
(figurative) to be in extreme distressto be heartbroken or devastated(literal) to hover between life and deathto be at death's door

Examples

  • 死去活来，。
    Tā kū dé sǐ qù huó lái, shuí quàn dōu méi yǒu yòng.
    She cried her heart out; nobody's comfort could help.
  • ，死去活来。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā tòng kǔ dé sǐ qù huó lái.
    Hearing the news, he was in excruciating pain.
  • ，，死去活来。
    Zài zhàn chǎng shàng, tā jǐ cì shòu shāng, sǐ qù huó lái dì zhēng zhá zhe huó le xià lái.
    On the battlefield, he was wounded several times and struggled between life and death to survive.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

死去die away
死sǐdie去qùaway
补充Verb + complement
活来live back
活huólive来láiback
补充Verb + complement

死去 and 活来 describe dying away and coming back to life, so it expresses extreme distress.

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
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
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.

Open 死 →

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

去 pairs 大, a man, with 口, a mouth or object. The evidence reads this as a man leaving a place, a man opening his mouth, or a cover over an object.

Open 去 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑活huó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.

Open 活 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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