死節

Chinese

		to die	backbone; integrity; drive backbone; integrity; drive; spirit; ambition
trad. (死節)		死	節
simp. (死节)		死	节

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sǐjié

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˇ ㄐㄧㄝˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sei² zit³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sǐjié
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˇ ㄐㄧㄝˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sǐhjié
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ³-chieh²
    • Yale: sž-jyé
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syyjye
    • Palladius: сыцзе (sycze)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sei² zit³
    • Yale: séi jit
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sei² dzit⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: séi² jid³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sei̯³⁵ t͡siːt̚³/

---

• Middle Chinese: sijX tset

Rime
Character	死	節
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	精 (13)
Final (韻)	脂 (17)	屑 (87)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	IV
Fanqie	息姊切	子結切
Baxter	sijX	tset
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sˠiɪX/	/t͡set̚/
Pan Wuyun	/sᵚiX/	/t͡set̚/
Shao Rongfen	/siɪX/	/t͡sɛt̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/sjiX/	/t͡sɛt̚/
Li Rong	/sjiX/	/t͡set̚/
Wang Li	/siX/	/t͡siet̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/siX/	/t͡siet̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sǐ	jie
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si2	zit3

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*sijʔ  tsˤik/

  (Zhengzhang): /*hljiʔ  ʔsiːɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	死	節
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sǐ	jié
Middle Chinese	‹ sijX ›	‹ tset ›
Old Chinese	/*sijʔ/	/*tsˁik/
English	die (v.)	joint
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	死	節
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	12006	5713
Phonetic component	死	即
Rime group	脂	質
Rime subdivision	2	2
Corresponding MC rime	死	節
Old Chinese	/*hljiʔ/	/*ʔsiːɡ/

Verb

死節

1. (literary) to die for the sake of honour or duty; to die and preserve one's integrity; to become a martyr

   • 假令僕伏法受誅，若九牛亡一毛，與螻蟻何以異？而世俗又不能與死節者次比，特以爲智窮罪極，不能自免，卒就死耳。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     假令仆伏法受诛，若九牛亡一毛，与蝼蚁何以异？而世俗又不能与死节者次比，特以为智穷罪极，不能自免，卒就死耳。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Sima Qian, Letter to Ren An. 1st century BCE. Based on the translation by Burton Watson.

     Jiǎlìng pú fúfǎ shòuzhū, ruò jiǔniú wáng yīmáo, yǔ lóuyǐ héyǐ yì? Ér shìsú yòu bùnéng yǔ sǐjié zhě cìbǐ, tè yǐwèi zhìqióng zuìjí, bùnéng zìmiǎn, zú jiùsǐ ěr. [Pinyin]

     If I fell before the law and was executed, it would make no more difference to most people than one hair off nine oxen, for I was a mere ant to them. The world would not rank me among those who were able to die for their ideals, but would believe simply that my wits were exhausted and my crime great, that I had been unable to escape penalty and in the end had gone to my death.

   • 相看白刃血紛紛，死節從來豈顧勳。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     相看白刃血纷纷，死节从来岂顾勋。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Gao Shi (高適), 738, A Song of the Yan Country (《燕歌行》), translated by Witter Bynner.

     Xiāngkàn báirèn xuè fēnfēn, sǐjié cónglái qǐgù xūn. [Pinyin]

     Until white swords can be seen again, spattered with red blood.
     When death becomes a duty, who stops to think of fame?