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丧命 (sàng mìng) — to lose one's life (in an accident, violence, or disaster); to die (formal/literary)

Definition

Formal verb meaning to die in an accident, disaster, or violent event — not natural death. Use in news or writing, not casual speech.

verb
to lose one's life (in an accident, violence, or disaster)to die (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 丧命。
    Tā zài nà chǎng chē huò zhōng sàng mìng le.
    He lost his life in that car accident.
  • 。
    Tā zài zhàn zhēng zhōng sàng le mìng.
    He lost his life in the war.
  • ，丧命。
    Yīn wèi shí wù zhòng dú, jǐ gè rén sàng mìng le.
    Several people lost their lives because of food poisoning.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

丧sànglose
命mìnglife

丧 expresses losing and 命 life; together they mean lose 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 喪; 丧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
㗊㗊㗊many mouths
Sound part声符shēngfú
桑
桑sāng喪sàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 喪 originally paired 桑 (mulberry tree) with 㗊 (many mouths). The simplified 丧 is the modern form, deriving from a form that used 哭 (cry) and 亡 (die).

Open 丧 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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