殺身成仁

See also: 杀身成仁

Chinese

		to be killed; to lose one's life	to die for a righteous cause
trad. (殺身成仁)		殺身	成仁
simp. (杀身成仁)		杀身	成仁

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 15 (《論語·衞靈公》):

子曰：「志士仁人，無求生以害仁，有殺身以成仁。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

子曰：「志士仁人，无求生以害仁，有杀身以成仁。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐyuē: “Zhìshì rénrén, wú qiúshēng yǐ hài rén, yǒu shāshēn yǐ chéngrén.” [Pinyin]

The Master said, "The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete."

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shāshēnchéngrén

(Zhuyin): ㄕㄚㄕㄣㄔㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): saat³ san¹ sing⁴ jan⁴
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sat-sin-sêng-lîn / sat-sin-sêng-jîn

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shāshēnchéngrén
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄚㄕㄣㄔㄥˊ ㄖㄣˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shashenchéngrén
  - Wade–Giles: sha¹-shên¹-chʻêng²-jên²
  - Yale: shā-shēn-chéng-rén
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shashencherngren
  - Palladius: шашэньчэнжэнь (šašɛnʹčɛnžɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂä⁵⁵ ʂən⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰɤŋ³⁵ ʐən³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: saat³ san¹ sing⁴ jan⁴
  - Yale: saat sān sìhng yàhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: saat⁸ san¹ sing⁴ jan⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: sad³ sen¹ xing⁴ yen⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːt̚³ sɐn⁵⁵ sɪŋ²¹ jɐn²¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sat-sin-sêng-lîn
  - Tâi-lô: sat-sin-sîng-lîn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: satsinsengliin
  - IPA (Xiamen): /sat̚³²⁻⁴ sin⁴⁴⁻²² siɪŋ²⁴⁻²² lin²⁴/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sat-sin-sêng-jîn
  - Tâi-lô: sat-sin-sîng-jîn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: satsinsengjiin
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /sat̚³²⁻⁴ sin⁴⁴⁻³³ siɪŋ²³⁻³³ zin²³/

Idiom

殺身成仁

to die to achieve virtue; to die for a just cause

Synonyms

捨生取義／舍生取义 (shěshēngqǔyì)