1.
life and death; life or death; survival
The matter of whether something lives or dies, survives or perishes. Most commonly used in the compound 死活問題 (matter of life and death) to describe critically important issues.
これは死活問題だ。
This is a matter of life and death.
中小企業にとって死活に関わる問題だ。
For small and medium businesses, it is a matter of survival.
水の確保は砂漠では死活に関わる重要な課題である。
Securing water is a critically important issue in the desert — a matter of life and death.
Composed of 死 (death) + 活 (life, living). Almost always appears in fixed expressions rather than being used independently.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 死活問題: matter of life and death; critically important issue
- 死活に関わる: relating to survival; of vital importance
- 死活を制する: to determine life or death; to hold the key to survival
- 死活的に重要: vitally important
USAGE:
While the literal meaning is 'life and death,' 死活問題 is commonly used figuratively for any issue of critical importance — for a business, an industry, a career, etc. — not just situations involving actual physical danger.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 生死: life and death — focuses on the literal state of being alive or dead
- 存亡: survival or ruin — used for organizations, nations, or systems rather than individuals
- 生き死に: life and death — a more colloquial compound with similar meaning