死而后已

死而後已
sǐ'ér-hòuyǐ
idiom #73,643

Meanings

  1. 1 to carry on to the very end of one's life
  2. 2 to devote oneself until death
  3. 3 unto one's dying day

Examples

Tā wèi jiàoyù shìyè jūgōng-jìncuì, sǐ'ér-hòuyǐ.
He gave himself to education wholeheartedly, to his dying day.
Wǒ yào wèi zhège lǐxiǎng fèndòu dào sǐ'ér-hòuyǐ.
I will fight for this ideal until my last breath.

Tips

history
From 论语 (Analects, Taibo): 士不可以不弘毅任重而道远 - Zengzi on the scholar's lifelong burden of benevolence.
usage
Most famous in the pairing 鞠躬尽瘁死而后已 ('to bow down and spend oneself unto death'), used of Zhuge Liang in his 后出师表.

Stroke Order

ér
hòu