送命

sòngmìng

verb #7,674

Meanings

1 to lose one's life; to get killed
2 to die (often due to recklessness or misfortune)

Characters

to send; to deliver

life; fate; destiny

Examples

开车太快会送命的。

Kāichē tài kuài huì sòngmìng de.

Driving too fast can get you killed.

很多士兵在战争中送命。

Hěn duō shìbīng zài zhànzhēng zhōng sòngmìng.

Many soldiers lost their lives in the war.

他差点因为这个错误送命。

Tā chàdiǎn yīnwèi zhège cuòwù sòngmìng.

He almost lost his life because of this mistake.

Tips

memory

Literally 送 (to send/deliver) + 命 (life) = 'to deliver one's life away'. The image of sending your life away captures the idea of losing it needlessly.

usage

送命 often implies the death was avoidable or caused by foolishness. It's more dramatic/colloquial than neutral terms like 死亡 (sǐwáng, death).

Stroke Order

送 sòng

命 mìng