杀

• Pinyin: shā
• Hanzi breakdown: 杀 = 杀 is simplified from 殺, which contains 殳 (weapon) + 朮 (phonetic)

Meaning

To kill; to slaughter; to murder; to eliminate.

The primary verb for killing, applicable to people, animals, or figuratively to processes (killing time, killing bacteria). Also used in competitive contexts like gaming or sports to mean defeating decisively. Can combine with various complements to specify the manner of killing.

Examples

1. 这部电影里主角一个人杀了三十多个敌人，太夸张了。 In this movie, the protagonist killed over thirty enemies by himself — so exaggerated.
2. 天气太热了，要多用杀虫剂防止蚊虫叮咬。 The weather is too hot — we need to use more insecticide to prevent mosquito bites.
3. 他在游戏里杀得太猛了，对手根本没法反抗。 He was killing it so hard in the game that the opponents couldn't fight back at all.

Usage Guide

Context: general, gaming, news

Tone: direct

Do Say

• 不要杀生，尊重每一个生命。(Don't kill — respect every life.)
• 这局游戏我杀了十个人。(I killed ten people in this game.)

Don't Say

• 我杀了那个项目 — for ending projects, use 取消 or 终止 instead; 杀 sounds too dramatic for business contexts

Origin & History

Ancient character originally showing a weapon and a person, representing the act of killing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal