📖 Meaning
Literally 'life and death, life and death,' this idiom refers to an entire lifetime, from birth to death. It emphasizes the full span of existence and the enduring bond or commitment that lasts throughout one's whole life.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from 'Shu Ying' (书影, Shadows of Books), Volume 2, by Zhou Lianggong of the Qing Dynasty. In the passage, a servant named Kuanfu weeps and recounts the lifelong hardships her parents endured, saying that if her parents insist on returning, she should follow her mistress's household. The phrase conveys the suffering and struggles spanning an entire lifetime, from beginning to end.
💡 Example Usage
战士们生生死死守卫着祖国的边疆。
The soldiers guard the borders of the motherland through life and death.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 生生死死
- Pinyin: shēng shēng sǐ sǐ
- Literal Translation: life, life, death, death
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4