📖 Meaning
To escape from death and return to life; also used in the sense of braving mortal danger, akin to the idiom 出生入死. It describes someone who passes through life-threatening peril and survives.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Tang dynasty writer Huang Tao's (黄滔) stele inscription 'Record of the Baoen Dingguang Duobao Pagoda in Fuzhou of the Great Tang' (《大唐福州报恩定光多宝塔碑记》). The original text reads: 'Such is the power of the Great Hero, bringing forth from death into life; such is the spirit of utmost sincerity, moving heaven and earth.' It originally praised the transcendent power of Buddhist faith to deliver beings from death and restore them to life. Over time it came to also describe braving deadly danger in the course of duty.
💡 Example Usage
战士们出死入生，为保卫家园浴血奋战。
The soldiers braved death itself, fighting desperately to defend their homeland.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 出死入生
- Pinyin: chū sǐ rù shēng
- Literal Translation: exit death, enter life
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4