tuẫn tiết
Definition
- Verb:
- To commit suicide out of loyalty or principle: To take one's own life as an act of fidelity, often to a ruler, cause, or moral code, especially to avoid capture, dishonor, or to protest an injustice. This is a historical and formal term.
- To die for a righteous cause: To sacrifice one's life for a matter of great moral significance or duty.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Sau khi thành thất thủ, vị tướng đã tuẫn tiết. (After the fortress fell, the general committed suicide out of loyalty.)
- Bà ấy tuẫn tiết để giữ trọn danh tiết. (She took her own life to preserve her honor completely.)
- Tuẫn tiết được coi là một hành động trung nghĩa trong lịch sử. (Dying for a righteous cause is considered an act of loyalty and righteousness in history.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "tuẫn tiết" is deeply rooted in historical, particularly Confucian, contexts where loyalty and honor were paramount. It often describes the actions of mandarins, generals, or widows in pre-modern East Asian history.
- It implies a conscious, deliberate choice to die, distinguishing it from being killed in battle or by accident.
Variants and Related Words
- Tuẫn nạn (v): To die in a disaster or calamity; to perish. (Less specific to principle/loyalty).
- Tiết nghĩa (n): Righteousness and loyalty; moral integrity.
- Tự tử (v): To commit suicide. (A neutral, general term without the connotation of loyalty or principle).
Synonyms
- To die for a cause: To perish in support of a principle.
- To commit ritual suicide: To take one's own life following a formal code or custom (e.g., seppuku, harakiri).
- To sacrifice oneself: To give up one's life for a belief or duty.
Related Idioms
- Thà chết vinh còn hơn sống nhục: Better to die with honor than to live in shame. This proverb encapsulates the spirit behind "tuẫn tiết".
- Theo tinh thần "thà chết vinh còn hơn sống nhục", ông ấy đã chọn tuẫn tiết. (Following the spirit of "better to die with honor than to live in shame," he chose to die for his principles.)