死者 (sǐ zhě) — the dead, the deceased | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

the deadthe deceased

死者。
Jǐng fāng zhèng zài què rèn sǐ zhě de shēn fèn.
The police are confirming the identity of the deceased.
死者。
Shì gù zhōng yǒu sān míng sǐ zhě bèi fā xiàn.
Three deceased were found in the accident.
死者。
Jiā shǔ wèi sǐ zhě jǔ xíng le zhuī dào huì.
The family held a memorial service for the deceased.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

The idea of 死 as death joins with 者 as person to mean the deceased.

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Appears in