生死未卜

shēngsǐ-wèibǔ
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 whether alive or dead is unknown
  2. 2 fate uncertain; missing and possibly dead

Examples

HSK 7-9
Dìzhèn zhīhòu, xǔduō rén bèi mái zài fèixū xià, shēngsǐ-wèibǔ.
After the earthquake, many were buried under rubble, their fate unknown.
HSK 7-9
Chuányuán shīlián sān tiān, zhìjīn shēngsǐ-wèibǔ.
Contact with the crew has been lost for three days; their fate is still unknown.

Tips

usage
Strongly dramatic. Reserved for real life-or-death uncertainty - missing people after disasters, soldiers lost in war, patients in critical condition. Don't use casually.
memory
means divination - literally "whether alive or dead, not yet divined." In ancient times, families cast oracle bones to find news of the missing.

Stroke Order

shēng
wèi