Definition

1. Verb:

   • To take one's own life; to commit suicide. This is the primary and most common meaning. It is a formal, literary, and often euphemistic term for ending one's own life, typically due to despair, shame, or an unbearable situation.

2. Verb (literary/extended usage):

   • To sacrifice one's life (for a cause). In classical or elevated contexts, particularly in historical or poetic texts, it can mean to willingly give up one's life for a righteous principle, ideal, or cause. This usage is less common in modern everyday language.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to take one's own life):
  • Trong tuyệt vọng, ông ấy đã quyên sinh. (In despair, he took his own life.)
  • Áp lực quá lớn có thể dẫn đến ý định quyên sinh. (Extreme pressure can lead to suicidal thoughts.)
• Verb (to sacrifice one's life - literary):
  • Vị anh hùng quyên sinh vì nghĩa lớn. (The hero sacrificed his life for a great cause.)

Advanced Usage

• The word carries a solemn and serious tone. It is more likely to be found in news reports, literature, or formal discussions than in casual conversation, where phrases like are more direct.
• The classical components of the word are (to discard, to risk) and (life), literally meaning "to discard one's life."

Variants and Related Words

• Tự tử (v): To commit suicide. This is a more direct, common, and neutral term.
• Tự sát (v): To commit suicide. Similar to , used in both everyday and formal contexts.
• Tự vẫn (v): To kill oneself. A formal term, often with a connotation of doing so to preserve honor.

Synonyms

• Commit suicide
• Take one's own life
• End it all (colloquial/idiomatic)

Important Note

• Quyên sinh specifically refers to the act of a person ending their own life. It is not used for being killed by others or in accidents. The literary meaning of "sacrifice" is context-dependent and rooted in classical usage.

verb

1. to take one's own life