Every man must die - some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, some lighter than a goose feather.
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history
From Sima Qian's 《报任安书》: 人固有一死，或重于泰山，或轻于鸿毛，用之所趋异也. Sima Qian wrote it to Ren An after suffering castration, defending why he chose to endure disgrace and live on - to finish the 《史记》. Mao Zedong quoted it in 《为人民服务》 mourning Zhang Side, making the line a household saying.
usage
Always paired with 或轻于鸿毛. Here 或 = 'some', and 于 = 'than'. Mount Tai in Shandong, first of the Five Sacred Mountains, is an ancient symbol of weight and dignity.
