Q: What is 死了?

死了 is one of the most commonly used phrases in Mandarin. You probably heard it in daily conversations used at the end of a sentence to emphasise a state or emotion.

Q: How to use 死了?

To put it simple, 死了 is used in two ways. 1) As a verb, 死了 means “dead”. 2) Used at the end of a sentence, 死了 is a degree complement to express the extreme or high degree of a state or emotion.

Q: What are some examples with 死了?

死了 as a verb: 小鸟冻死了。xiǎo niǎo dòng sǐ le. | The bird froze to death. 他因心脏病发作死了。tā yīn xīn zāng bìng fā zuō sǐ le. | He died of a heart attack. 死了 as a degree complement: 我要笑死了！wǒ yào xiào sǐ le! | I’m laughing my ass off. 真是烦死了！zhēnshi fán sǐle! | I am so bored!

Question 1

What is 死了?

Accepted Answer

死了 is one of the most commonly used phrases in Mandarin. You probably heard it in daily conversations used at the end of a sentence to emphasise a state or emotion.

Question 2

How to pronounce 死了?

Accepted Answer

死了 is pronounced sǐ le.

Question 3

How to use 死了?

Accepted Answer

To put it simple, 死了 is used in two ways.

1) As a verb, 死了 means “dead”.

2) Used at the end of a sentence, 死了 is a degree complement to express the extreme or high degree of a state or emotion.

Question 4

What are some examples with 死了?

Accepted Answer

死了 as a verb:

小鸟冻死了。xiǎo niǎo dòng sǐ le. | The bird froze to death.

他因心脏病发作死了。tā yīn xīn zāng bìng fā zuō sǐ le. | He died of a heart attack.

死了 as a degree complement:

我要笑死了！wǒ yào xiào sǐ le! | I’m laughing my ass off.

真是烦死了！zhēnshi fán sǐle! | I am so bored!

Question 5

Do you have any A1 Chinese grammar lessons?

Accepted Answer

Yes we do! You can find all of articles on A1 level Chinese grammar in our Grammar Bank here.

Question 6

Isn’t 死 a Japanese character?

Accepted Answer

死 is indeed found in the Japanese language. Did you know that Japanese Kanji actually come from the Chinese writing system?

That is why you will find some characters in both languages. Be careful though, as some Japanese characters are NOT to be used in Chinese!

Grammar Point	Pattern	Example
How to use 死了	Adjective / Verb + 死了	我要笑死了！
How to use 差不多	差不多 + Adjective/Verb	他们差不多高。
How to use 总是	Subject + 总是 + Verb	他总是穿那双鞋。
How to use 一直	Subject + 一直 + Predicate	我一直很喜欢你。
How to use 刚 and 刚刚	Subject + 刚 + Verb	我刚写完作业。
Difference between 能 and 会	Subject +（不）会/能 + Verb + Object	弟弟会游泳。
How to use 想 and 要	Subject + 想要 + Noun/Verb	你想要什么礼物?
How to use 快…了	Subject + 快 + Verb + 了	飞机快起飞了。
How to use 因为 and 所以	因为 + Cause，所以 + Result	因为时间太晚了，所以我们明天再出发。
How to use 从…到…	Subject + 从 + Time 1 + 到 + Time 2	从2004年到2008年，我都在上海工作。
How to use 比	Noun A + 比 + Noun B + Adjective	今天比昨天冷。
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Chinese Grammar Bank

HSK 2