卖命

賣命

màimìng

verb #10,509

Meanings

1 to work tirelessly
2 to slave away
3 to risk one's life (for someone)

Characters

Examples

他为这家公司卖命了二十年。

Tā wèi zhèjiā gōngsī màimìng le èrshí nián.

He slaved away for this company for twenty years.

别再替他卖命了，不值得。

Bié zài tì tā màimìng le, bùzhí dé.

Stop working yourself to death for him; it's not worth it.

Tips

usage

卖命 literally means "to sell one's life." It implies working extremely hard, often for someone else's benefit, with a negative connotation of being exploited or undervalued.

Stroke Order

卖 mài

命 mìng