牺牲

shēng

Traditional: 牺牲

#1705 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

to sacrifice, sacrifice, to give up

Word origin

Both characters carry the 牛 (niú, ox) radical, as 牺牲 originally named the sacrificial animals offered in ancient rituals, later broadening to mean any sacrifice.

Origin
compound
Root
牺 (xī) + 牲 (shēng), both with the 牛 (ox) radical

Stroke order

Stroke order for 牺

Stroke order for 牲

Examples

He sacrificed a lot for his family.

Many soldiers died in the war.

We should not sacrifice our health to make money.

She is willing to make sacrifices for her ideals.

This is a huge sacrifice.

牺牲 (xī shēng) means to sacrifice or a sacrifice. It can describe giving up something valuable, and as a respectful term it also means to die for a cause.

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This word is part of lesson 35.