Definition

1. Verb:
   • To cling to life: To have an excessive or improper desire to remain alive, often implying a fear of death or an unwillingness to accept mortality. It describes an intense, sometimes morally questionable, attachment to being alive.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Con người thường tham sinh. (Humans often cling to life.)
  • Kẻ tiểu nhân thì tham sinh úy tử. (A petty person clings to life and fears death.)
  • Anh ta tham sinh đến mức sẵn sàng làm mọi thứ. (He clings to life so much that he is willing to do anything.)

Advanced Usage

• This verb is almost exclusively used in formal, literary, or philosophical contexts to discuss human nature, ethics, or behavior. It carries a critical or negative connotation, suggesting the attachment is excessive, weak, or ignoble.
• It is frequently paired with "úy tử" (to fear death) in the classical four-character idiom "tham sinh úy tử", forming a set phrase meaning "to cling to life and fear death."

Variants and Related Words

• Ham sống: To love life, to have a zest for life. (This is a more neutral or positive term compared to the negative connotation of ).
• Sợ chết: To be afraid of death. (A simple, common phrase).
• Tham (verb): To be greedy for, to covet. (The root word, indicating excessive desire).

Synonyms

• Bám víu vào sự sống: To cling to life. (A descriptive synonym).
• Quá ham sống: To be overly fond of living. (A near synonym, but slightly less literary).

Related Idioms

• Tham sinh úy tử: To cling to life and fear death. This is the most common and fixed expression containing the word.
  • Hành động của hắn thể hiện rõ tâm lý tham sinh úy tử. (His actions clearly show the mentality of clinging to life and fearing death.)

verb

1. to cling to life