断气 (duàn qì) — to breathe one's last, to die (of a person)

Definition

Literally 'cut off breath', used for a person actively dying or just dead — more graphic and final than passing away. Colloquial and direct, so avoid it in formal writing or for respected elders.

verb
to breathe one's lastto die (of a person)

Examples

  • 断气。
    Lǎo rén yǐ jīng kuài yào duàn qì le.
    The old man is about to breathe his last.
  • ，。
    Bìng rén zuó wǎn duàn le qì, yī shēng jìn lì le.
    The patient passed away last night; the doctors did everything they could.
  • ，。
    Tā yīn wèi zhòng bìng, bàn yè lǐ duàn le qì.
    Due to a severe illness, he breathed his last in the middle of the night.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

断duànbreak or stop
气qìbreath

断 means break or stop and 气 means breath, giving the idea of breath stopping in death.

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 斷; 断 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 斷 uses 𢇍 (to cut) and 斤 (axe) together.

Open 断 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.