生死(せいし)

せいし
noun
life and death
1. life and death
The states of being alive and dead; matters of life and death.
生死(せいし)の問題(もんだい)だ。
It's a matter of life and death.
彼(かれ)の生死(せいし)が分(わ)からない。
Whether he is alive or dead is unknown.
生死(せいし)をかけた戦(たたか)いだった。
It was a battle with life and death at stake.
生死(せいし)の境(さかい)をさまよった後(あと)、助(たす)かった。
After hovering between life and death, he was saved.
行方不明者(ゆくえふめいしゃ)の生死(せいし)は何日(なんにち)たっても不明(ふめい)のままだった。
Whether the missing person was alive or dead remained unknown no matter how many days passed.

生死(せいし) combines 生(せい) (life) and 死(し) (death). Used when life and death are at stake, or when someone's survival is in question.

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

REGISTER:
This is a serious, somewhat literary word. It appears frequently in news reports about disasters, accidents, and missing persons, as well as in dramatic or literary contexts. In everyday conversation, people are more likely to say 命(いのち)にかかわる (to concern one's life) for less dramatic situations.

READING NOTE:
Always read as せいし, not しょうし or なまじに.

core
Added 2026.1.16 17:12 · Revised 2026.6.16 3:53
05500/05565_seishi