Hello! I sumbled upon this kanji while studying (still at a beginner stage) and got the english definition “fighting with the illness until he passed away”. If anyone here has any insight into this kanji and the story behind it they would like to share, I would greatly appreciate it. I would really like to understand this more.
Thank you!
2 comments
絶 means for something to end, be discontinued, go extinct. 命 means life. Unsurprisingly, when the two characters are combined, it forms 絶命, meaning “death, end of life, annihilation”
I want to point out that long definition you have there is fairly bs. Especially, but not limited to, the part where it specifies “illness”. Where did you get that definition from?
For those who can understand native material: [source](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E7%B5%B6%E5%91%BD/example/). That “fighting”, “illness”, and “until” all don’t come from the word 絶命, instead, they stem from the context it’s used in. Compare below (excerpts from link):
– 頸部に重傷を負い即刻絶命したり
– 落馬し、騎手がその場で絶命するという騒ぎの隙をねらって
– 衆寡敵せず、ついに傷ついて絶命した
Notice these have nothing to do with illness.