Skip to content

牺牲

xī shēng
HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Common

Definitions

  1. 1. to sacrifice one's life
  2. 2. to sacrifice (sth valued)
  3. 3. beast slaughtered as a sacrifice

Stop forgetting what you study. Build recall daily.

Try HanyuGuide's Chinese review system with multiple choice, typed recall, tone-aware practice, and reviews scheduled before memory fades.

Start Free Trial · $49.99 / year

Sign up with Google
Continue with Email
Try a practice session

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
存活
cún huó

to survive (a serious accident)

牺牲 implies death or loss; 存活 means to survive or stay alive.

Related words

1 item
殉职
xùn zhí

to die in the line of duty

殉职 specifically means dying in the line of duty or while working.

Usage notes

Collocations

牺牲 is frequently used in the structure 为...牺牲 (to sacrifice for...) or 作出牺牲 (to make a sacrifice).

Common mistakes

牺牲 is often used incorrectly by learners who use it for trivial losses (e.g., 'I sacrificed my weekend'). In Chinese, it carries a heavy connotation of life loss or a very great cost, and overuse in light contexts sounds unnatural.

Grammar

Guides that feature 牺牲

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

1 guide
HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 6+ 8 min
Purpose with 为...而

Use 为...而 for formal purpose, sacrifice, and value-driven action.

Reading: xī shēng Open guide

Example Sentences

1 shown
士兵们壮烈 牺牲 了。
The soldiers died a heroic death.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 牺牲

牺牲品
xī shēng pǐn

sacrificial victim

牺牲打
xī shēng dǎ

sacrifice hit (in sport, e.g. baseball)

牺牲者
xī shēng zhě

sb who sacrifices himself

英勇牺牲
yīng yǒng xī shēng

to heroically sacrifice one's life

Child Words of 牺牲

牲
shēng

domestic animal

牺
xī

sacrifice