DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
九死一生
Mandarin · pinyin jiǔ sǐ yī shēng
Meanings
- nine deaths and still alive (idiom); a narrow escape
- new lease of life
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Mandarin tones
3–3–1–1 · jiu3 si3 yi1 sheng1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) narrow escape from death
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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