置之死地而后生 zhì zhī sǐ dì ér hòu shēng

fig. to find a way out of an impasse

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 56674th word

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. to find a way out of an impasse
  2. 2. place sb on a field of death and he will fight to live (idiom based on Sunzi's "The Art of War" 孙子兵法sūn zǐ bīng fǎ); to fight desperately when confronting mortal danger

Characters

Character Meaning
置 zhì HSK 5
to put; to place; to buy
之 zhī HSK 4
(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的de); it
死 sǐ HSK 4
to die; extremely; inflexible
地 dì HSK 3
ground; land; adverb marker -ly
而 ér HSK 3
and; but (not); (indicates contrast)
后 hòu HSK 1
behind; after; later
生 shēng HSK 1
life; to be born; raw