丧生

喪生

sàngshēng

verb HSK 7-9 #8,298

Meanings

1 to lose one's life; to perish
2 to be killed (in an accident or disaster)

Characters

to lose; to forfeit

Literally 'to lose life.' This is formal/literary — used in news reports about casualties, not in casual speech.

Examples

地震中有很多人丧生。

Dìzhèn zhōng yǒu hěnduō rén sàngshēng.

Many people perished in the earthquake.

他在车祸中不幸丧生。

Tā zài chēhuò zhōng búxìng sàngshēng.

He was unfortunately killed in a car accident.

Tips

register

丧生 is strictly formal/written. You'd see it in news headlines and official reports. In everyday speech, people say 去世 (qùshì, to pass away) or more bluntly 死了 (sǐ le, died). Using 丧生 in casual conversation would sound oddly dramatic.

Stroke Order

丧 sāng

生 shēng