Definition

1. Noun:

   • Life and death: A classical, literary compound noun referring to the critical duality of existence and demise, often used to denote a situation of extreme peril or ultimate consequence.
   • The vicissitudes of life: The extreme hardships, dangers, and unpredictable fortunes one may face throughout life's journey.

2. Adjective (used predicatively):

   • A matter of life and death: Describing a situation, decision, or struggle that is of the utmost seriousness, where the stakes involve survival or utter ruin.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • Họ cùng nhau trải qua bao nỗi sống thác. (They went through many life-and-death hardships together.)
  • Câu chuyện kể về tình bạn vượt trên cả sống thác. (The story tells of a friendship that transcends life and death.)

• Adjective:

  • Đây là một trận chiến sống thác. (This is a life-and-death battle.)
  • Quyết định này mang tính sống thác đối với công ty. (This decision is a matter of life and death for the company.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "sống thác" is deeply rooted in classical and literary Vietnamese. It is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation but appears in formal writing, literature, historical narratives, and rhetoric to evoke gravity and profound struggle.

Variants and Related Words

• Sinh tử (n): A more modern and commonly used synonym for "life and death," frequently seen in legal, medical, and everyday contexts.
  • Tình hình người bệnh đang ở ranh giới sinh tử. (The patient's condition is on the border between life and death.)

Synonyms

• Life and death: The primary meaning, indicating ultimate stakes.
• Peril: Extreme danger.
• Doo-or-die: Describing a situation requiring desperate effort to avoid failure.

Related Idioms

• Vào sinh ra tử: (To go into life and come out from death) An idiom meaning to repeatedly face and brave extreme dangers, often used for soldiers or adventurers.
  • Người lính vào sinh ra tử vì tổ quốc. (The soldier braved life and death for the homeland.)

1. Live or die