丧生

• Pinyin: sàng shēng
• Hanzi breakdown: 丧 = 哭 (cry/mourn) + 亡 (perish) compound indicating mourning and loss; 生 = 土 (earth) + 丿 (sprouting) = life — 丧生 = to lose one's life

Meaning

To lose one's life; to perish; to die, especially as the result of an accident, disaster, or violence.

A formal, solemn term used predominantly in news reports, official documents, and historical accounts. Conveys a greater degree of gravity and tragedy than the plain verb 死. Often appears in passive constructions or in descriptions of mass casualties.

Examples

1. 这场突如其来的山体滑坡造成多名工人丧生，事故调查组已紧急赶赴现场展开调查工作。 This sudden landslide claimed the lives of multiple workers, and an accident investigation team has rushed to the site to begin an investigation.
2. 历史文献记载，那次惨烈的海战中双方共有数千名士兵丧生，尸横遍野，令后世读者无不扼腕叹息。 Historical records note that in that brutal naval battle, thousands of soldiers on both sides lost their lives, with bodies strewn everywhere—something later readers cannot help but lament.
3. 安全专家指出，违规操作和疏于防护是导致这类工地事故中工人丧生的主要原因之一。 Safety experts point out that illegal operations and inadequate protective measures are among the main reasons workers lose their lives in construction site accidents like these.

Usage Guide

Context: news, disasters, history, legal

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 这次化工厂爆炸事故造成十七名工人丧生、数十人受伤，相关部门已启动应急响应程序并对事故原因展开全面调查。(This chemical plant explosion caused seventeen workers to lose their lives and dozens more to be injured; the relevant departments have activated emergency response procedures and launched a comprehensive investigation into the cause.)
• 据史书记载，那次大洪水夺走了沿岸数万名百姓的生命，使无数家庭支离破碎、流离失所。(According to historical records, that great flood took the lives of tens of thousands of people along the riverbanks, leaving countless families torn apart and displaced.)

Don't Say

• 他丧生了一只猫 — 丧生 is used for human death only; use 死了 or 去世 for animal deaths and informal contexts; never use 丧生 as a transitive verb with an object

Origin & History

丧 = 亡 (die/perish) embedded in mourning/loss semantics; 生 = 土 + 丿 (life sprouting from earth) = life — together: to lose one's life

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal