Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Self-sacrificing / Sacrificing one's own life: Describes the act of giving up or being willing to give up one's own life for a cause, principle, or another person. It implies ultimate personal sacrifice.

2. Verb (phrase):

   • To sacrifice oneself / To give one's life: The act of dying or being killed for a specific purpose, often a noble or righteous one.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Lòng trung thành sát thân của người lính. (The soldier's self-sacrificing loyalty.)
  • Đó là một hành động sát thân. (That was a self-sacrificing act.)

• Verb (phrase):

  • Anh ấy sẵn sàng sát thân vì độc lập dân tộc. (He is ready to sacrifice himself for national independence.)
  • Câu chuyện về những người sát thân vì nghĩa. (The story of those who gave their lives for righteousness.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is formal and literary, often used in historical, philosophical, or heroic contexts to describe profound devotion or martyrdom.
• It can be used to modify nouns (as an adjective) or as a verb phrase with "vì" (for) to indicate the cause of the sacrifice.

Variants and Related Words

• Sát thân thành nhân (idiomatic phrase): To sacrifice oneself to achieve virtue or to become a true person (a righteous person). This is a classical Confucian-inspired concept.
  • Truyền thống sát thân thành nhân. (The tradition of sacrificing oneself to achieve virtue.)

Synonyms

• Self-sacrificing: Sacrificing one's own interests or life.
• Martyr-like: Characteristic of a martyr.
• To die for a cause: To perish in support of a principle.

Related Idioms

• Sát thân thành nhân: As above, an idiom meaning to sacrifice one's life to fulfill one's humanity or moral duty.
  • Câu chuyện là một minh họa cho tư tưởng sát thân thành nhân. (The story is an illustration of the "sacrifice oneself to achieve virtue" ideal.)