牺
牲

About

The word "牺牲" is formed by combining the character "牺", which specifically denotes a pure-colored animal used in sacrificial rituals, with the character "牲", which refers to livestock or animals bred for ceremonial offerings. Together, they originally referred literally to the animals sacrificed in ancient rites, and this concrete term later extended semantically to represent the abstract concept of sacrifice, such as giving up one's life or interests for a greater purpose.

Example Sentences Hide

为了革命事业，他牺牲了生命。

Wèile gémìng shìyè, tā xīshēng le shēngmìng.

He sacrificed his life for the revolutionary cause.

那位医生牺牲了休息时间照顾病人。

Nà wèi yīshēng xīshēng le xiūxí shíjiān zhàogù bìngrén.

That doctor sacrificed his rest time to care for the patients.

有时我们需要牺牲个人利益来维护集体利益。

Yǒushí wǒmen xūyào xīshēng gèrén lìyì lái wéihù jítǐ lìyì.

Sometimes we need to sacrifice personal interests to protect collective interests.

这场胜利是全体队员牺牲了无数个假日刻苦训练换来的。

Zhè chǎng shènglì shì quántǐ duìyuán xīshēng le wúshù gè jiàn kèkǔ xùnliàn huàn lái de.

This victory was earned by the whole team sacrificing countless holidays for hard training.

在历史进程中，进步往往伴随着部分传统观念的牺牲。

Zài lìshǐ jìnchéng zhōng, jìnbù wǎngwǎng bànsuízhe bùfèn chuántǒng guānniàn de xīshēng.

In the course of history, progress is often accompanied by the sacrifice of some traditional ideas.

Word Definition - 牺牲

xī shēng to sacrifice one's life; to sacrifice (sth valued); beast slaughtered as a sacrifice

Individual Character Details

牺 xī
牲 shēng