寻死 (xún sǐ) — to attempt suicide; to commit suicide | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A colloquial verb for attempting suicide — stronger and more vivid than 自杀, which is the neutral written term. Often used in emotional or narrative contexts.

verb

to attempt suicideto commit suicide

Examples

，。
Tā céng jīng xún guò sǐ, dàn hòu lái bèi jiù le.
He once attempted suicide, but was later saved.
寻死。
Tā yīn wèi shī liàn ér xiǎng yào xún sǐ.
She wanted to commit suicide because of a broken heart.
寻死。
Nà bù diàn yǐng jiǎng de shì yí gè xún sǐ de gù shi.
That movie tells a story about suicide.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

寻 means to seek and 死 means death, so the idea is seeking one's own death.

Characters in this word

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

又又yòuhand
寸寸cùnhand

寻 is formed from 又 (hand) and 寸 (hand).

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尸

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.

Appears in

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