Definition
抹脖子 is an informal colloquial verb-object compound meaning 'to cut one's own throat (in suicide)'. It's a separable verb (离合词): the noun 脖子 ('neck') can split off from 抹 ('to wipe/slice'), e.g. 抹了脖子 ('cut one's own throat'). The word carries a strong emotional tone — usually describing someone driven to desperation or overwhelmed by life circumstances. It is NOT used for murdering someone else; it only refers to self-harm. In casual speech it sometimes appears as a hyperbolic metaphor for a disastrous outcome (e.g. in business), but the primary sense remains literal.
v.o.
(colloquial) to cut one's own throat (in suicide)
Examples
- ，抹脖子。Nà wèi lǎorén xiǎngbukāi, zuìhòu mā le.That old man couldn't get past his troubles and ended up cutting his own throat.
- ，抹脖子。Tā yīshí chōngdòng, jiù yòng dāo mā le.In a moment of impulse, he cut his own throat with a knife.
- 。Tīngshuō tā yīnwèi pòchǎn yǐjīng mǒ guò liǎng cì bózi le.I heard he's already tried cutting his own throat twice because of bankruptcy.
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