欲死欲活

Chinese

		desire; longing; appetite desire; longing; appetite; wish	to die; impassable; uncrossable to die; impassable; uncrossable; inflexible; rigid	desire; longing; appetite desire; longing; appetite; wish	to live; alive; living to live; alive; living; work; workmanship
trad. (欲死欲活)		欲	死	欲	活
simp. #(欲死欲活)		欲	死	欲	活
alternative forms		要死要活

Pronunciation

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): beh-sí-beh-oa̍h / berh-sí-berh-oa̍h / boeh-sí-boeh-oa̍h

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• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: beh-sí-beh-oa̍h
    • Tâi-lô: beh-sí-beh-ua̍h
    • Phofsit Daibuun: behsy'beh'oah
    • IPA (Xiamen): /be(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ uaʔ⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /be(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ be(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ uaʔ¹²¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /be(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ si⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ be(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ uaʔ⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: berh-sí-berh-oa̍h
    • Tâi-lô: berh-sí-berh-ua̍h
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /bə(ʔ)⁵ si⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ bə(ʔ)⁵ uaʔ²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: boeh-sí-boeh-oa̍h
    • Tâi-lô: bueh-sí-bueh-ua̍h
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boehsy'boeh'oah
    • IPA (Taipei): /bue(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ si⁵³⁻⁴⁴ bue(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ uaʔ⁴/

Idiom

欲死欲活

1. (Hokkien) to be devastated; to suffer terribly; to be within an inch of one's life

   哭甲欲死欲活 [Hokkien, trad. and simp.]

   khàu kah beh-sí-beh-oa̍h [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   to cry one's heart out

Synonyms

• 死去活來／死去活来 (sǐqùhuólái)