丧身 (sàng shēn) — to lose one's life (in an accident, disaster, or violent event)

Definition

丧身 is a formal, often literary verb meaning 'to lose one's life' in an accident, disaster, or violent event — far stronger than everyday words for dying, and used mostly in news or historical writing.

verb
to lose one's life (in an accident, disaster, or violent event)

Examples

  • 丧身。
    Tā zài zhè cì shì gù zhōng sàng shēn le.
    He lost his life in this accident.
  • ，。
    Zài nà chǎng huǒ zāi lǐ, tā sàng le shēn.
    In that fire, he lost his life.
  • 丧身。
    Xǔ duō zhàn shì sàng shēn yú zhàn chǎng.
    Many soldiers lost their lives on the battlefield.

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
身shēnbody or life

To lose one's life: '丧' is lose and '身' is the body or 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 →

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

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →

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