Definition
弥留 is a literary verb meaning 'to be on one's deathbed' or 'to be dying'. It almost always appears in the fixed phrase 弥留之际 ('on the verge of death'), where 之际 means 'the time when'. You will rarely see it used alone — it's a formal, written (wr.) expression found in news obituaries, biographies, or historical narratives. There is no modern colloquial equivalent; in speech people say 快要不行了 or 临终.
v.
(literary) to be dyingto be on one's deathbed
Examples
- 弥留。Tā zài mí liú zhījì bǎ cáichǎn fēn gěi le zǐnǚ.While on his deathbed, he divided his property among his children.
- 弥留，。Lǎorén mí liú de shíhou, jiārén men dōu shǒu zài chuáng biān.When the old man was dying, his family all stayed by his bedside.
- 弥留。mí liú zhījì tā réngrán guàniàn zhe wèi wánchéng de shūgǎo.While dying, he still worried about his unfinished manuscript.
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