Usage of the character 死

(lit.) to wither in the light of day
(fig.) the bubble bursts as the reality becomes apparent (esp. of a much-anticipated first meeting with sb)
(of stocks) just as the favorable news is officially published, the stock price falls

diàosǐguǐ

吊死鬼

[吊死鬼]

ghost of a person who died by hanging
hanged person
(coll.) inchworm
hangman (word game)

pàsǐguǐ

怕死鬼

[怕死鬼]

afraid to die (contemptuous term)

sǐjìnr

死劲儿

[死勁兒]

erhua variant of 死勁／死劲 (sǐjìn)

nǎosǐwáng

脑死亡

[腦死亡]

brain death

bùsǐyào

不死药

[不死藥]

elixir of life

sǐduìtou

死对头

[死對頭]

arch-enemy
sworn enemy

sǐténgshuǐ

死藤水

[死藤水]

ayahuasca

Díshāsǐ

敌杀死

[敵殺死]

Decis (insecticide brand)

tāisǐfùzhōng

胎死腹中

[胎死腹中]

fetus dies in the belly
(fig.) plans or projects failed before being carried out

rènsǐlǐr

认死理儿

[認死理兒]

erhua variant of 認死理／认死理 (rènsǐlǐ)

hòusǐbóshēng

厚死薄生

[厚死薄生]

lit. to praise the dead and revile the living
fig. to live in the past (idiom)

sǐyúfēimìng

死于非命

[死於非命]

violent death (idiom); to die in a disaster
an unnatural death

qǐsǐhuíshēng

起死回生

[起死回生]

to rise from the dead (idiom); fig. an unexpected recovery

xīnjīgěngsǐ

心肌梗死

[心肌梗死]

myocardial infarction
heart attack

sǐwángrénshù

死亡人数

[死亡人數]

number of people killed
death toll

shēngróngsǐ'āi

生荣死哀

[生榮死哀]

to be respected in life and lamented in death (idiom)

chuísǐzhēngzhá

垂死挣扎

[垂死掙扎]

deathbed struggle
final struggle (idiom)

lèisǐlèihuó

累死累活

[累死累活]

to tire oneself out through overwork
to work oneself to death

sǐwángbǐjì

死亡笔记

[死亡筆記]

Death note (Japanese: デスノート), translation of cult manga series by author ŌBA Tsugumi 大場鶇／大场鸫 ( Dàchǎng Dōng) (pen-name) and illustrator OBATA Takeshi 小畑健 ( Xiǎotián Jiàn)

sǐyǒuyúgū

死有余辜

[死有餘辜]

(idiom) to be so evil that even death would be insufficient punishment

línchuángsǐwáng

临床死亡

[臨床死亡]

clinical death

sǐhuóbùgù

死活不顾

[死活不顧]

regardless of life or death (idiom)

dànǎosǐwáng

大脑死亡

[大腦死亡]

brain death

shēngsǐcúnwáng

生死存亡

[生死存亡]

matter of life and death

bùsǐbùxiū

不死不休

[不死不休]

to fight to one's last gasp

yǎngshēngsòngsǐ

养生送死

[養生送死]

to be looked after in life and given a proper burial thereafter (idiom)

yītánsǐshuǐ

一潭死水

[一潭死水]

a pool of stagnant water
stagnant or listless condition

sǐyīnbùmíng

死因不明

[死因不明]

unknown cause of death

yàosǐbùhuó

要死不活

[要死不活]

half dead
more dead than alive

shìsǐbùcóng

誓死不从

[誓死不從]

to vow to die rather than obey (idiom)

sǐwúduìzhèng

死无对证

[死無對證]

the dead cannot testify (idiom); dead men tell no tales

línsǐbùqiè

临死不怯

[臨死不怯]

equanimity in the face of death
to face dangers with assurance

Fēisǐbùkě

非死不可

[非死不可]

Facebook (Internet slang, pun reading "you must die")

sǐbùyàoliǎn

死不要脸

[死不要臉]

to know no shame
to be totally shameless

sǐqìchénchén

死气沉沉

[死氣沉沉]

dead atmosphere
lifeless
spiritless

sǐlùyītiáo

死路一条

[死路一條]

(idiom) dead end
road to ruin

sǐbùgǎihuǐ

死不改悔

[死不改悔]

not to repent even facing death (idiom)
unrepentant
very obstinate

sǐchánlàndǎ

死缠烂打

[死纏爛打]

(coll.) to pester
to harass

sǐpílàiliǎn

死皮赖脸

[死皮賴臉]

brazen faced (idiom); shameless

shìsǐbùxiáng

誓死不降

[誓死不降]

to vow to fight to the death

zhāoshēngmùsǐ

朝生暮死

[朝生暮死]

lit. born in the morning and dying at dusk (idiom)
fig. ephemeral
transient

shēnglísǐbié

生离死别

[生離死別]

separated in life and death
to part for ever

shēngsǐyōuguān

生死攸关

[生死攸關]

matter of life and death

zìxúnsǐlù

自寻死路

[自尋死路]

to follow the path to one's own doom (idiom)
to bring about one's own destruction

zuìshēngmèngsǐ

醉生梦死

[醉生夢死]

as if drunk or entranced (idiom); leading a befuddled existence
in a drunken stupor

suīsǐyóuróng

虽死犹荣

[雖死猶榮]

lit. although dead, also honored; died a glorious death

sǐ'érhòuyǐ

死而后已

[死而後已]

until death puts an end (idiom); one's whole life
unto one's dying day

sǐyàomiànzi

死要面子

[死要面子]

to regard face as all-important
to consider loss of face unthinkable

sǐxīntādì

死心塌地

[死心塌地]

to be hell-bent on; dead set on sth; unswerving

dànànbùsǐ

大难不死

[大難不死]

to just escape from calamity

bùmiǎnyīsǐ

不免一死

[不免一死]

cannot avoid being killed
cannot escape death
to be mortal

nǐsǐwǒhuó

你死我活

[你死我活]

lit. you die, I live (idiom); irreconcilable adversaries
two parties cannot coexist

sǐqibáilài

死乞白赖

[死乞白賴]

to pester someone again and again

yúsǐwǎngpò

鱼死网破

[魚死網破]

lit. either the fish dies or the net splits
a life and death struggle (idiom)

bìsǐzhīzhèng

必死之症

[必死之症]

terminal illness
incurable condition (also fig.)

sǐhuīfùrán

死灰复燃

[死灰復燃]

lit. ashes burn once more (idiom); fig. sb lost returns to have influence
sth malevolent returns to haunt one

bìsǐwúyí

必死无疑

[必死無疑]

will die for sure; to be a goner

zhìsǐjìliàng

致死剂量

[致死劑量]

lethal dose

sǐqùhuólái

死去活来

[死去活來]

to hover between life and death (idiom)
to suffer terribly
within an inch of one's life

sǐjiénánjiě

死结难解

[死結難解]

enigmatic knot hard to untie (idiom); thorny problem
intractable difficulty

yàosǐyàohuó

要死要活

[要死要活]

terribly
awfully
desperately

jiùsǐfúshāng

救死扶伤

[救死扶傷]

to help the dying and heal the injured

sǐqibáilài

死气白赖

[死氣白賴]

variant of 死乞白賴／死乞白赖 (sǐqibáilài)

jiǔsǐyīshēng

九死一生

[九死一生]

nine deaths and still alive (idiom); a narrow escape
new lease of life

wànsǐbùcí

万死不辞

[萬死不辭]

ten thousand deaths will not prevent me (idiom); ready to risk life and limb to help out

yǐsǐmíngzhì

以死明志

[以死明志]

to demonstrate one's sincerity by dying

rènsǐkòur

认死扣儿

[認死扣兒]

stubborn

nìngsǐbùqū

宁死不屈

[寧死不屈]

rather die than submit (idiom)

shìsǐrúguī

视死如归

[視死如歸]

to view death as a return home
to not be afraid of dying
to face death with equanimity (idiom)

chūshēngrùsǐ

出生入死

[出生入死]

from the cradle to the grave (idiom); to go through fire and water
brave
willing to risk life and limb

shēngsǐròugǔ

生死肉骨

[生死肉骨]

lit. the dead returning to life
a miracle (idiom)

sǐrénbùguǎn

死人不管

[死人不管]

(coll.) to wash one's hands of a matter

sǐjìyìngbèi

死记硬背

[死記硬背]

to learn by rote
to mechanically memorize

luànshízásǐ

乱石砸死

[亂石砸死]

to stone to death

tùsǐhúbēi

兔死狐悲

[兔死狐悲]

lit. if the rabbit dies, the fox grieves (idiom); fig. to have sympathy with a like-minded person in distress

sǐzhōngqiúshēng

死中求生

[死中求生]

to seek life in death (idiom); to fight for one's life

pīnsǐpīnhuó

拼死拼活

[拼死拼活]

one's utmost
(to fight or work) desperately hard
to put up a life or death struggle
at all costs

shùshǒudàisǐ

束手待死

[束手待死]

hands tied and expecting the worst

sǐyú'ānlè

死于安乐

[死於安樂]

see 生於憂患，死於安樂／生于忧患，死于安乐 (shēngyúyōuhuàn,sǐyú'ānlè)

lánpíngsǐjī

蓝屏死机

[藍屏死機]

(computing) (of an operating system) to crash and display the "blue screen of death"

yùxiānyùsǐ

欲仙欲死

[慾仙慾死]

to wish one were dead (idiom)
(fig.) to be in seventh heaven

Sǐhǎijīngjuàn

死海经卷

[死海經卷]

Dead Sea Scrolls

sǐdàolíntóu

死到临头

[死到臨頭]

Death is near at hand. (idiom)

zhànsǐshāchǎng

战死沙场

[戰死沙場]

to die in battle (idiom)

sǐxīnyǎnr

死心眼儿

[死心眼兒]

stubborn
obstinate
having a one-track mind

sǐ'érwúhuǐ

死而无悔

[死而無悔]

to die without regret (idiom, from Analects)

lùsǐshéishǒu

鹿死谁手

[鹿死誰手]

lit. at whose hand will the deer die (idiom)
fig. who will emerge victorious

shēngsǐguāntóu

生死关头

[生死關頭]

the critical moment
life and death crisis

sǐlǐtáoshēng

死里逃生

[死裡逃生]

mortal danger, escape alive (idiom); a narrow escape
to survive by the skin of one's teeth

kèsǐtāxiāng

客死他乡

[客死他鄉]

see 客死異鄉／客死异乡 (kèsǐyìxiāng)

shāngxīnzhìsǐ

伤心致死

[傷心致死]

to grieve to death
to die of a broken-heart

tùsǐgǒupēng

兔死狗烹

[兔死狗烹]

lit. to boil the hound once it caught the rabbit (idiom)
fig. to get rid of sb once he has served his purpose

diàosǐwènjí

吊死问疾

[弔死問疾]

to grieve for the sick and the dying
to show great concern for people's suffering

sǐbùmíngmù

死不瞑目

[死不瞑目]

lit. not close one's eyes after dying (idiom)
fig. to die with an unresolved grievance

shēngsǐdādàng

生死搭档

[生死搭檔]

inseparable partner

sǐ'érbùjiāng

死而不僵

[死而不僵]

dead but showing no signs of rigor mortis
to die hard (idiom)
to die yet not be vanquished (idiom)

suīsǐyóushēng

虽死犹生

[雖死猶生]

lit. although dead, as if still alive (idiom); still with us in spirit

yībǎsǐná

一把死拿

[一把死拿]

stubborn
inflexible

kèsǐyìxiāng

客死异乡

[客死異鄉]

to die in a foreign land (idiom)

shěshēngwàngsǐ

舍生忘死

[捨生忘死]

bravery with no thought of personal safety (idiom); risking life and limb
undaunted by perils

shēnglǎobìngsǐ

生老病死

[生老病死]

lit. to be born, to grow old, to get sick and to die (idiom)
fig. the fate of humankind (i.e. mortality)

tānshēngpàsǐ

贪生怕死

[貪生怕死]

greedy for life, afraid of death (idiom); craven and cowardly
clinging abjectly to life
only interested in saving one's neck

shēngsǐyǒumìng

生死有命

[生死有命]

life and death are ruled by fate (idiom)

Sǐhǎigǔjuàn

死海古卷

[死海古卷]

Dead Sea Scrolls

chángshēngbùsǐ

长生不死

[長生不死]

immortality

sǐxīntàdì

死心踏地

[死心踏地]

see 死心塌地 (sǐxīntādì)

bùzhīsǐhuó

不知死活

[不知死活]

to act recklessly (idiom)

guòshīzhìsǐzuì

过失致死罪

[過失致死罪]

(law) negligent homicide

zǎosǐzǎochāoshēng

早死早超生

[早死早超生]

to end one's suffering by dying quickly and being reincarnated
(fig.) to get it over with

yīgùnzidǎsǐ

一棍子打死

[一棍子打死]

to deal a single fatal blow
(fig.) to totally repudiate sb because of a minor error

rénbǐrénděisǐ

人比人得死

[人比人得死]

see 人比人，氣死人／人比人，气死人 (rénbǐrén,qisìrén)

pínxuèxìnghuàisǐ

贫血性坏死

[貧血性壞死]

anemic necrosis

zhìsǐxìngdújì

致死性毒剂

[致死性毒劑]

lethal agent

sǐwúzàngshēnzhīdì

死无葬身之地

[死無葬身之地]

to die without a burial site
to die a pauper
a tragic end

sǐxínghuǎnqīzhíxíng

死刑缓期执行

[死刑緩期執行]

deferred death sentence
abbr. to 死緩／死缓 (sǐhuǎn)

àidesǐqùhuólái

爱得死去活来

[愛得死去活來]

to be madly in love

huórénràngniàobiēsǐ

活人让尿憋死

[活人讓尿憋死]

lit. such a fool as to die from holding in one's pee (idiom)
fig. unable to solve a problem due to the inflexibility of one's thinking

sǐmǎdànghuómǎyī

死马当活马医

[死馬當活馬醫]

lit. to give medicine to a dead horse (idiom)
fig. to keep trying everything in a desperate situation

āimòdàyúxīnsǐ

哀莫大于心死

[哀莫大於心死]

nothing sadder than a withered heart (idiom attributed to Confucius by Zhuangzi 莊子／庄子 ( Zhuāngzǐ))
no greater sorrow than a heart that never rejoices
the worst sorrow is not as bad as an uncaring heart
nothing is more wretched than apathy

jiǎotùsǐzǒugǒupēng

狡兔死走狗烹

[狡兔死走狗烹]

see 兔死狗烹 (tùsǐgǒupēng)

kūdesǐqùhuólái

哭得死去活来

[哭得死去活來]

to cry one's heart out

bùdào Huáng Héxīnbùsǐ

不到黄河心不死

[不到黃河心不死]

lit. not to stop until one reaches the Yellow River (idiom)
fig. to persevere until one reaches one's goal
to keep going while some hope is left

sǐzhūbùpàkāishuǐtàng

死猪不怕开水烫

[死豬不怕開水燙]

lit. a dead pig doesn't fear scalding water (idiom)
fig. a person who has nothing more to lose will go to any lengths, regardless of the consequences

bùzuòsǐjiùbùhuìsǐ

不作死就不会死

[不作死就不會死]

serves you right for doing sth so stupid (Internet slang)

bùzìyóu,wúnìngsǐ

不自由，毋宁死

[不自由，毋寧死]

give me liberty or give me death

rénbǐrén,qìsǐrén

人比人，气死人

[人比人，氣死人]

(proverb) constantly comparing oneself to others only leads to dissatisfaction and envy

sǐyàomiànzihuóshòuzuì

死要面子活受罪

[死要面子活受罪]

to go through hell for the sake of keeping up appearances (idiom)

chūshīwèijiéshēnxiānsǐ

出师未捷身先死

[出師未捷身先死]

"he failed to complete his quest before death" (line from the poem "The Premier of Shu" 蜀相 ( Shǔxiàng) by Du Fu 杜甫 ( Dù Fǔ))

zhìzhīsǐdì'érhòushēng

置之死地而后生

[置之死地而後生]

(idiom based on Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法／孙子兵法 ( Sunzī Bingfā)) to deploy one's troops in such a way that there is no possibility of retreat, so that they will fight for their lives and win the battle; to fight desperately when confronted with mortal danger; to find a way to emerge from a dire situation

xiāmāopèngshàngsǐhàozi

瞎猫碰上死耗子

[瞎貓碰上死耗子]

a blind cat finds a dead mouse (idiom)
blind luck

yīng'ércùsǐzōnghézhèng

婴儿猝死综合症

[嬰兒猝死綜合症]

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); crib death

shùnuósǐ,rénnuóhuó

树挪死，人挪活

[樹挪死，人挪活]

lit. if moved to a new location, a tree will die, but a person will live (idiom)
fig. human beings, unlike trees, thrive on change

hǎosǐbùrúlàihuózhe

好死不如赖活着

[好死不如賴活著]

better a bad life than a good death (idiom)

huángdìbùjíjísǐtàijiàn

皇帝不急急死太监

[皇帝不急急死太監]

see 皇帝不急太監急／皇帝不急太监急 (huángdìbùjítàijiànjí)

bùshìyúsǐjiùshìwǎngpò

不是鱼死就是网破

[不是魚死就是網破]

lit. either the fish dies or the net gets torn (idiom)
fig. it's a life-and-death struggle
it's either him or me

bǎizúzhīchóngsǐ'érbùjiāng

百足之虫死而不僵

[百足之蟲死而不僵]

a centipede dies but never falls down
old institutions die hard

shòusǐdeluòtuobǐmǎdà

瘦死的骆驼比马大

[瘦死的駱駝比馬大]

lit. even a scrawny camel is bigger than a horse (idiom)
fig. even after suffering a loss, a rich person is still better off than ordinary people
a cultured person may come down in the world, but he is still superior to the common people

bùyàozàiyīkēshùshàngdiàosǐ

不要在一棵树上吊死

[不要在一棵樹上吊死]

don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom)
there's more than one way to skin a cat

lǎotiānyé'èbùsǐxiājiāquè

老天爷饿不死瞎家雀

[老天爺餓不死瞎家雀]

lit. heaven won't let the sparrows go hungry (idiom)
fig. don't give up hope
if you tough it out, there will be light at the end of the tunnel

rénzhījiāngsǐ,qíyányěshàn

人之将死，其言也善

[人之將死，其言也善]

words of a man on his deathbed always come from the heart (proverb)

jūgōngjìncuì,sǐ'érhòuyǐ

鞠躬尽瘁，死而后已

[鞠躬盡瘁，死而後已]

to bend to a task and spare no effort unto one's dying day (idiom); striving to the utmost one's whole life
with every breath in one's body, unto one's dying day

dànànbùsǐ,bìyǒuhòufú

大难不死，必有后福

[大難不死，必有後福]