牺牲 (xī shēng) — to sacrifice (one's life, time, interests, etc.) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

To sacrifice or give up something valued (life, time, interests) for a cause or goal. Unlike 致命, which is a literary/archaic verb meaning to die for a cause, 牺牲 covers both life and everyday things like time or money, and is the common modern word.

verb

to sacrifice (one's life, time, interests, etc.)

Examples

，牺牲。
Wèi le guó jiā, tā xī shēng le zì jǐ de shēng mìng.
He sacrificed his life for his country.
，牺牲。
Wèi le chéng gōng, tā xī shēng le hěn duō xiū xi shí jiān.
She sacrificed a lot of rest time for success.
牺牲。
Tā men xī shēng le xǔ duō jià qī lái wán chéng rèn wu.
They sacrificed many holidays to complete the task.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

牺xīsacrificial animal

牲shēnganimal

牺 and 牲 both refer to sacrificial animals, so together they came to mean giving up what is valued.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 犧; 牺 is its simplified writing.

牛羲犧

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

羲

羲xī犧xī

Same sound today

The traditional form 犧 pairs 牛 (ox) with 羲 as its sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

牛生牲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

生

生shēng牲shēng

Same sound today

牲 pairs 牛, meaning cow, with 生 as its sound part.

Appears in

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