誓死 (shì sǐ) — to swear to the death; to be determined to do s…

Definition

誓死 (shì sǐ) means to pledge one's life for a cause — a strong, formal/literary verb used in writing or speeches to express absolute resolve.

verb

to swear to the deathto be determined to do something even at the cost of one's life

誓死。
Zhàn shì men shì sǐ bǎo wèi zǔ guó.
The soldiers swore to defend the motherland to the death.
誓死，。
Tā men shì sǐ wán chéng rèn wu, jué bú tuì suō.
They pledged their lives to complete the mission and would never back down.
誓死。
Tā shì sǐ hàn wèi zì jǐ de xìn yǎng.
She swore to defend her faith even at the cost of her life.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

To 誓死, pledging 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.

折言誓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánspeech

Sound part声符shēngfú

折

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

誓 is built from 言, meaning speech, and 折, which provides the sound. The speech part shows it is about spoken words, such as a vow.

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.

Appears in