舍身 (shě shēn) — to sacrifice one's life (for a cause or to save others); (Buddhism) to renounce worldly life and become a monk

Definition

Literary/classical verb meaning to give up one's life for a cause or to save others. In Buddhist contexts it specifically means renouncing the world to become a monk.

verb
to sacrifice one's life (for a cause or to save others)(Buddhism) to renounce worldly life and become a monk

Examples

  • 舍身，。
    Tā wèi le guó jiā shě shēn qǔ yì, lìng rén jìng pèi.
    He gave his life for his country and chose righteousness over life — truly admirable.
  • 舍身，。
    Zhè wèi sēng rén shě shēn chū jiā, qián xīn xiū xíng.
    This monk renounced the world and devoted himself to cultivation.
  • ，。
    Yīng xióng wèi le jiù rén, háo bù yóu yù dì shè le shēn.
    The hero gave up his life to save others without any hesitation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

舍shègive up
身shēnbody/life

舍 means to give up, and 身 refers to the body or life, so the word means to give up one's life.

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú舍shè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

舍 is 余 plus 口. 余 was the original picture for this word, and 口 was later added to distinguish it.

Open 舍 →

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

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →

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