Definition
亡 is a bound morpheme — it never stands alone in modern Mandarin and only appears in compounds. It carries the meanings of 'to die', 'to flee', or 'to be destroyed', depending on the word it forms (e.g. 死亡 'death', 逃亡 'to flee', 灭亡 'to perish'). You'll encounter it in formal, written, or historical contexts rather than everyday conversation.
b.f.
to dieto be deceased (in compounds, e.g. 死亡)to flee (in compounds, e.g. 逃亡)to be destroyedto perish (in compounds, e.g. 灭亡)
Examples
- ，。Nà cì shìgù zhōng sān rén shēnghuán, liǎng rén sǐwáng.In that accident, three survived and two died.
- 。Tā zài zhànluàn zhōng shèfǎ táowáng dào le línguó.He managed to flee to a neighboring country during the war.
- 。Zhège gǔlǎo wénmíng zuìzhōng zǒuxiàng mièwáng.This ancient civilization eventually perished.
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