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置之死地而後生
简 置之死地而后生 · 繁 置之死地而後生Mandarin · pinyin zhì zhī sǐ dì ér hòu shēng
Meanings
- (idiom based on Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孫子兵法 Sūn zǐ Bīng fǎ) to deploy one's troops in such a way that there is no possibility of retreat, so that they will fight for their lives and win the battle; to fight desperately when confronted with mortal danger; to find a way to emerge from a dire situation
Characters in this entry
- 置
- zhì · place, lay out; set aside
- 之
- zhī · marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
- 死
- sǐ · die; dead; death
- 地
- de · dì · earth; soil, ground; region
- 而
- ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
- 後
- hòu · behind, rear, after; descendents
- 生
- shēng · life, living, lifetime; birth
- 后
- hòu · queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4–1–3–4–2–4–1 · zhi4 zhi1 si3 di4 er2 hou4 sheng1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
8character links1source reference
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.
置之死地而後生 · find source passages ↗ · 置之死地而后生 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Rime
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
zi3 zi1 sei2 dei6 ji4 hau6 sang1
Cantonese word readings for 置之死地而後生. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
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