tử tiết
Definition
- Verb:
- To die for a principle / to die upholding one's integrity: The primary meaning of "tử tiết" is to choose death, often by suicide, rather than compromise one's loyalty, chastity, honor, or a deeply held moral principle. It implies a voluntary sacrifice to preserve one's virtue or fidelity.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Nhiều quan lại trung thành đã tử tiết khi kinh thành thất thủ. (Many loyal officials chose to die for their principles when the capital fell.)
- Bà ấy thà tử tiết còn hơn bị làm nhục. (She would rather die upholding her honor than be humiliated.)
Advanced Usage
- Historically, "tử tiết" is strongly associated with Confucian ideals of loyalty, especially of a minister to his sovereign, or of a woman to her chastity.
- The term carries a heavy, formal, and historical connotation, often used in historical narratives or discussions of classical virtue.
Variants and Related Words
- Tiết nghĩa (n): integrity and righteousness; the principle one dies for.
- Trung liệt (adj): loyal and heroic unto death.
Synonyms
- To die for a cause: To sacrifice one's life for a belief.
- To commit suicide out of loyalty / principle: A more descriptive phrase for the specific act.
- To die with one's honor intact: Emphasizes the preservation of integrity.
Related Concepts
- Trung quân ái quốc: Loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country; a common principle for which historical figures "tử tiết."
- Thủ tiết: To guard one's chastity or fidelity (often, but not always, unto death).