Definition
死去活来 literally means 'to die and come back to life'. It is most commonly used figuratively to describe extreme emotional or physical pain—such as crying heartbrokenly, struggling in agony, or suffering terribly. You'll often see it after verbs like 哭 (cry), 痛 (ache), or 挣扎 (struggle) to intensify the degree of suffering.
f.e.
(figurative) to be in extreme distressto be heartbroken or devastated(literal) to hover between life and deathto be at death's door
Examples
- 死去活来，。Tā kū dé sǐ qù huó lái, shuí quàn dōu méiyǒu yòng.She cried her heart out; nobody's comfort could help.
- ，死去活来。Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, tā tòngkǔ dé sǐ qù huó lái.Hearing the news, he was in excruciating pain.
- ，，死去活来。Zài zhànchǎng shàng, tā jǐ cì shòushāng, sǐ qù huó lái de zhēngzhá zhe huó le xiàlái.On the battlefield, he was wounded several times and struggled between life and death to survive.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.