抛头颅 (pāo tóu lú) — to sacrifice one's life (for a cause), to give one's all

Definition

A formal, literary phrase meaning to sacrifice one's life for a cause — far stronger and more rhetorical than everyday 牺牲. Used mostly in writing about martyrs and revolutionary history, not casual speech.

verb
to sacrifice one's life (for a cause)to give one's all

Examples

  • ，抛头颅。
    Wèi le gé mìng, wú shù xiān liè gān yuàn pāo tóu lú.
    For the revolution, countless martyrs were willing to sacrifice their lives.
  • 抛头颅，。
    Tā jué xīn pāo tóu lú, wèi mín zú jiě fàng fèn dòu dào dǐ.
    He was determined to sacrifice his life and fight for national liberation to the end.
  • ，抛头颅。
    Zhàn shì men gāo hū kǒu hào, zhǔn bèi pāo tóu lú.
    The soldiers shouted slogans, ready to sacrifice their lives.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

抛pāothrow
头颅skull
头tóutop part颅lúskull
联合Side by side

抛 means throw and 头颅 means skull; throwing the skull expresses giving one's life.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 拋; 抛 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 拋, not 抛, shows 手 (hand), 尤, and 力 (power).

Open 抛 →

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

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 顱; 颅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
盧
盧lú顱lú
Same sound today

The traditional form 顱 combines 頁, meaning head, with 盧, which gives the sound; the simplified 颅 is a later shorthand.

Open 颅 →

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