轻生 (qīng shēng) — to commit suicide (lit. to treat life lightly)

Definition

轻生 (qīng shēng) is a formal/literary verb meaning 'to commit suicide' — 'to treat one's own life lightly.' It is more bookish than the plain 自杀 and carries a tone of pity or regret, often used in reports or literary writing.

verb
to commit suicide (lit. to treat life lightly)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā yīn wèi pò chǎn, chà diǎn qīng le shēng.
    He almost committed suicide because of bankruptcy.
  • 轻生。
    Tā céng jīng yǒu guò qīng shēng de niàn tou.
    She once had suicidal thoughts.
  • 轻生。
    qīng shēng Bú shì jiě jué wèn tí de bàn fǎ.
    Suicide is not a solution to problems.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

轻qīngtreat lightly
生shēnglife

轻 means treating something as light, and 生 gives life; together they express taking life lightly.

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 輕; 轻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng輕qīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 輕 pairs 車, a carriage, with 巠 to give the sound; it originally named a light carriage. The simplified 轻 is only a later shorthand.

Open 轻 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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