📖 Meaning
This idiom means to harm one's own body and damage one's health. It describes self-destructive behaviors such as overindulgence, reckless living, or harmful habits that ruin physical well-being. It serves as a stern warning against conduct that undermines one's vitality.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not trace to a single specific literary source. The character 戕 (to kill or injure) and 伐 (to attack or strike) are both classical Chinese verbs denoting harm and destruction, frequently appearing in ancient texts. Combined as a four-character phrase, they emphasize the severity of self-inflicted damage to both body and life. The expression likely emerged from traditional Chinese medical and philosophical traditions that stressed preserving health and cautioned against reckless conduct.
💡 Example Usage
长期熬夜酗酒，无异于戕身伐命，终将毁掉健康。
Staying up late and drinking excessively over the long term amounts to harming your body and ruining your life, ultimately destroying your health.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 戕身伐命
- Pinyin: qiāng shēn fá mìng
- Literal Translation: harm body, attack life
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4