死
sí
The Hokkien verb 'to die' is expressed as 死 (sí).
死 is used to describe the act of stopping living. It is a blunt and direct term for death.
Meaning: to stop living (verb)
Which one should you use?
死 is a direct way to describe death, whereas 去世 is used as a more respectful or euphemistic way to say someone 'passed away'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the action of dying has been completed, the aspect marker 了 (liáu) is often added after the verb 死 (sí) to form 死掉了, meaning 'died' or 'has died'.
How do you pronounce it?
sí
When do people say it?
The aggressive phrase 去死！ (khì sí) is a common way to tell someone to "go die" or "get lost" when you are angry.
Did you know?
- Hokkien has a specific cultural taboo against saying 死 during festive periods like the Lunar New Year, as it is believed to attract bad luck.
- In Hokkien, describing a person as 'dead' can sometimes be used as an adjective to mean someone is extremely dull, slow, or unresponsive.
- The phrase 死掉 (sí-tiàu) is often used figuratively in Hokkien to describe something that has completely broken down or failed, like an electronic device.
Examples in context
- 去死！Die!This sentence shows how to use 死 in an aggressive command.Tatoeba #13246717 by tsunhua, translation #364954 by fcbond
- 那隻狗死掉了。na tsa̍h káu si-diau-le.That dog died.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about an old movie.
- 曉雯 Hiau-bun主角最後死掉矣。chú-kak choè-hâu sí-tiàu á.The main character died in the end.
- 家豪 Ka-hao真的假的？太悲傷了。chin-tek kè-sî? thài pî-sang lah.Really? That's too sad.
- 曉雯 Hiau-bun對，看到我快要死。tùi, khàn-kàu guá khoài-iàu sí.Yes, it almost killed me (from sadness).
- 家豪 Ka-hao我不想看這部電影。guá sián-be khàn tsè-pōo tián-éng.I don't want to watch this movie.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
