死亡 (sǐ wáng) — to die (formal) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

死亡 is a formal written word for 'death' — colder and more detached than 去世 or 逝世, so it fits reports and statistics (e.g., accident tolls) rather than speaking about a specific person.

verb

to die (formal)

Examples

死亡。
Tā yīn wèi shēng bìng sǐ wáng le.
He died because of illness.
死亡。
Yī shēng xuān bù bìng rén yǐ jīng sǐ wáng.
The doctor announced that the patient had died.
死亡。
Zhè chǎng shì gù dǎo zhì sān rén sǐ wáng.
This accident caused three deaths.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

死 and 亡 both refer to dying, so together they give the formal sense of death.

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.

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.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The shape originally marked a knife's cutting edge with a line.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 1000 Most Frequent Chinese Words Life Stages & Age 2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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