死人

Chinese

Pronunciation 1

Noun

死人

1. dead person (Classifier: 個／个)

   街上躺著個死人，這不警察剛到。 [MSC, trad.]
   街上躺着个死人，这不警察刚到。 [MSC, simp.]

   Jiē shàng tǎng zhe ge sǐrén, zhè bù jǐngchá gāng dào.

   A dead person is lying on the road, and the police has just arrived.

   • 道路有死人。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     Dàolù yǒu sǐrén.

     There're dead persons on the road.

   • 行有死人，尚或墐之。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Xíng yǒu sǐrén, shàng huò jìn zhī.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. corpse (Classifier: 個／个)
3. (colloquial, slightly vulgar, often humorous) unpleasant person; bastard; son of a bitch (Classifier: 個／个)

   你這個死人死到哪裡去了，打手機也不接。 [MSC, trad.]
   你这个死人死到哪里去了，打手机也不接。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ zhège sǐrén sǐ dào nǎlǐ qù le, dǎ shǒujī yě bù jiē.

   Where the hell have you been? Why are you not answering my calls? (said by wife)

Synonyms

• (dead person):

• (corpse):

Derived terms

Descendants

Verb

死⫽人 (verb-object)

1. (impersonal) a person dies

   工廠裡又死人啦。 [MSC, trad.]
   工厂里又死人啦。 [MSC, simp.]

   Gōngchǎng lǐ yòu sǐrén la.

   Another person has died in the factory.

2. (usually in exaggerations) to make people die; to be dangerous

   這樣做會死人的。 [MSC, trad.]
   这样做会死人的。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhèyàng zuò huì sǐrén de.

   Someone might die if you do it this way.

   這東西吃了又不會死人，怕什麼。 [MSC, trad.]
   这东西吃了又不会死人，怕什么。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè dōngxi chī le yòu bùhuì sǐrén, pà shénme.

   What are you afraid of? Eating this stuff won't kill you.

Synonyms

• (to die):

Derived terms

Adjective

死人

1. (Cantonese, vulgar) damn; wretched; stupid; goddamn

   嗰枝死人原子筆死咗去邊呀？ [Guangzhou Cantonese, trad.]
   嗰枝死人原子笔死咗去边呀？ [Guangzhou Cantonese, simp.]

   go² zi¹ sei² jan⁴ jyun⁴ zi² bat¹ sei² zo² heoi³ bin¹ aa³?

   Where's that goddamn pen?

2. (Cantonese) awful
   • 1957, 王力, “穗語舉例（三）·血的教訓（續）”, in 廣東話淺說, 1st edition, 文字改革出版社, page 104:

     如果唔係今日拆穿你槓野，俾你混左入稅局重死人呀！ [Guangzhou Cantonese, trad.]
     如果唔系今日拆穿你杠野，俾你混左入税局重死人呀！ [Guangzhou Cantonese, simp.]

     jyu⁴ gwo² m⁴ hai⁶ gam¹ jat⁶ caak³ cyun¹ nei⁵ lung⁵ je⁵, bei² nei⁵ wan⁶ zo² jap⁶ seoi³ guk^6-2 zung⁶ sei² jan⁴ aa³!

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

• (damn): (Mandarin) 該死／该死 (gāisǐ)
• (awful): 死 (sǐ), (Mandarin) 糟糕 (zāogāo)

Adverb

死人

1. (analysable as 死 (sǐ, “intensifying adverb”) + 人 (rén, “person”)) to death; to be ... enough to make people die, an intensifying suffix; an augmented form of "adj. + 人" phrases (usually expressing frustration, discomfort, surprise) (Should we delete⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

   這幫小孩真能氣死人。 [MSC, trad.]
   这帮小孩真能气死人。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè bāng xiǎohái zhēn néng qì sǐ rén.

   This group of kids is truly a headache.

   兒子整天琢磨怎麼追到女朋友，心思根本不在學習上，真愁死人了。 [MSC, trad.]
   儿子整天琢磨怎么追到女朋友，心思根本不在学习上，真愁死人了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Érzǐ zhěngtiān zhuómó zěnme zhuī dào nǚpéngyǒu, xīnsī gēnběn bù zài xuéxí shàng, zhēn chóu sǐ rén le.

   My son is thinking about ways to pursue a girlfriend all day; his mind is just not on studying at all. It's worrying me to death.

   搵死人／揾死人 [Cantonese]  ―  wan² sei² jan⁴   ―  a huge pain in the ass to find

2. (Mainland China Hokkien) very; rather; quite

Synonyms

Pronunciation 2

Adverb

死人

1. (Gan) very; really; badly (placed after the adjective)

Synonyms

• 得很 (dehěn)
• (Hokkien) 死死 (sǐsǐ)

Japanese

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 死人 (MC sijX nyin, literally “die, death + person”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しにん (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

死(し)人(にん) • (shinin) 

1. a dead person, the dead

   (2003) Hellsing vol. 6, chapter 40 最終的な想像 5 (“Final Fantasy 5”), page 59:

   死人(しにん)が喋(しゃべ)るな！

   Shinin ga shaberu na!

   The dead don't speak!

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:死人

Idioms

Coordinate terms

• 死体(したい) (shitai): a corpse, a dead body

Etymology 2

Compound of 死 (shi, “death, dead”) +‎ 人 (hito, “person”). The hito changes to bito as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しびと (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

死(し)人(びと) • (shibito) 

1. (rare) a dead person, the dead

Usage notes

The shinin reading is more common in modern Japanese when this term is used in isolation. The shibito reading is common in certain derived compounds.

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Compound of 死に (shini, “dying, death”) +‎ 人 (hito, “person”). The hito changes to bito as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しにびと (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

死(しに)人(びと) • (shinibito) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) a dead person, the dead

Usage notes

The shinin reading is more common in modern Japanese.

References

Korean

Noun

死人 • (sain) (hangeul 사인)

1. Hanja form^? of 사인 (“a dead person, the dead”).