九死一生 nine deaths and one life
Explanation
“九死一生”这个成语形容经历很大危险而幸存,也形容处在生死关头,情况十分危急。它出自战国时期楚国诗人屈原的《离骚》:“亦余心之所善兮,虽九死其犹未悔。”,意思是即使九死一生,也不后悔自己所做的事。
"Nine deaths and one life" is an idiom that describes surviving a great danger and how dangerous the situation was.
Origin Story
战国时期,楚国诗人屈原,是一位爱国主义者,他主张联齐抗秦,遭到了一些贵族的反对,被楚怀王流放到边远地区。虽然被流放,但屈原始终没有放弃自己的理想,依然心系国家和人民,写下了著名的《离骚》等作品,表达了自己的爱国情怀。在《离骚》中,屈原写道:“亦余心之所善兮,虽九死其犹未悔。”意思是说,即使要经历九死一生的磨难,也决不后悔自己所做的一切。
During the Warring States Period, Qu Yuan, a poet from the State of Chu, was a patriot who advocated for an alliance with the State of Qi to resist Qin, but he was opposed by some nobles and was exiled to a remote area by King Huai of Chu. Although he was exiled, Qu Yuan never gave up his ideals and was still concerned about his country and people. He wrote famous works such as "Li Sao", expressing his patriotic sentiments. In "Li Sao", Qu Yuan wrote: "Even if I die nine times, I will not regret what I have done." This means that even if he had to go through nine deaths and one life, he would never regret what he had done.
Usage
“九死一生”用来形容经历过生死考验,从极度危险中活下来,或者指情况十分危急,濒临死亡。
"Nine deaths and one life" is used to describe surviving a life-threatening experience, or to describe a very dangerous situation that is close to death.
Examples
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他虽然经历了九死一生的磨难,但最终还是成功了。
tā suīrán jīnglì le jiǔ sǐ yī shēng de mónán, dàn zuìzhōng háishì chénggōng le.
He went through nine deaths and one life of hardship, but eventually he succeeded.
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这场比赛,他们九死一生才赢了。
zhè chǎng bǐsài, tāmen jiǔ sǐ yī shēng cái yíng le.
They won this game with a narrow margin.
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这场手术风险极大,医生说病人九死一生。
zhè chǎng shǒushù fēngxiǎn jí dà, yīshēng shuō bìngrén jiǔ sǐ yī shēng
This operation is very risky, the doctor said the patient has only a slim chance of survival.