What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 死了 consists of the verb 死, meaning "to die" and the particle 了, which indicates a completed action or a change of state.
Which one should you use?
While 死了 is a general term, other forms exist for different contexts: 去世了 is a polite way to say someone passed away, while 挂了 is a colloquial term that can be considered slightly less respectful. For a more literary or poetic tone in written texts or speeches, you might see 辞世. For a formal and neutral way to indicate someone has passed away, 逝世 or 去世 can be used.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
When speaking about a person's death, it is more respectful and polite to use 去世了. In casual spoken language, you may hear the colloquial term 挂了, which is less respectful. For formal or literary contexts, use 逝世, 去世 or 辞世.
How does it change in a sentence?
To emphasize the completion of death or the loss of a living state, especially in colloquial contexts regarding animals or plants, you can use the form 死掉了.
How do you pronounce it?
sǐ le
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word for 'death' or 'to die', 死, can be used as an intensifier at the end of an adjective to mean 'extremely'. For example, 饿死了 means 'starving to death', but is commonly used just to mean 'extremely hungry'.
- When talking about death in a social context, Chinese speakers often avoid the word 死 entirely to prevent bad luck. Instead, they use euphemisms like 走了 which means 'gone'.
- The colloquial term 挂了 literally translates to 'hung up', similar to how one might hang up a telephone. It is used in modern slang to mean someone has died or a task has failed.
Examples in context
- 那些花死了。Those flowers have died.This sentence shows how the phrase can be used for plants.Tatoeba #5816153 by xjjAstrus, translation #42008 by CK
- 五個人死了。Five people died.This sentence demonstrates the use of the phrase for people.Tatoeba #13206622 by LeviHighway, translation #6442751 by RudeGuyGames
- 汤姆最近死了。Tom died recently.This sentence shows how to describe a recent death.Tatoeba #5685859 by verdastelo9604, translation #5483653 by CK
- 她的爷爷昨天逝世了Her grandfather passed away yesterday.
- 他的母亲去世了His mother died.
- 这位伟大的诗人在诗创作巅峰期辞世This great poet passed away during the peak of their poetic career.
- 他的信仰告诉他，当人离世时，灵魂会进入另一个世界His faith tells him that when people die, their souls enter another world.
- 这只老猫挂了This old cat kicked the bucket.
- 身为粉丝，我很难过地听到了他不在了As a fan, I was saddened to hear that he is no longer with us.
- 55 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen is telling Haoran about her pet fish.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我的金鱼死了。Wǒ de jīnyú sǐ le.My goldfish died.
- 浩然 Haoran真的很可惜。Zhēn de hěn kěxī.That's really a pity.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen它昨天就死了。Tā zuótiān jiù sǐ le.It died yesterday.
- 浩然 Haoran别难过，晓雯。Bié nánguò, Xiǎowén.Don't be sad, Xiaowen.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
