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生死攸关 (shēng sǐ yōu guān) — matter of life or death; critical moment where stakes are extremely high

Definition

A four-character idiom for a situation with extremely high stakes — literally 'life and death hinge on it.' Used for moments where failure has grave, far-reaching consequences.

noun
matter of life or deathcritical moment where stakes are extremely high

Examples

  • 生死攸关，。
    Zhè cì shǒu shù shēng sǐ yōu guān, yī shēng men fēi cháng jǐn shèn.
    This surgery is a matter of life or death, so the doctors are very cautious.
  • ，生死攸关。
    Duì zhè jiā gōng sī lái shuō, zhè bǐ tóu zī shēng sǐ yōu guān.
    For this company, this investment is a matter of life or death.
  • 生死攸关，。
    Tán pàn de jié guǒ shēng sǐ yōu guān, jiāng jué dìng liǎng guó guān xì de wèi lái.
    The outcome of the negotiations is a matter of life or death, and will determine the future of relations between the two countries.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

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.

The form 攸 pairs 人 (person) with 攴 (hand holding a stick), showing a person being warned; added dots in some forms may picture water for washing.

Open 攸 →

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 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSafety & Danger

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