sát sinh

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• (Southern Vietnam) sát sanh

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 殺生, composed of 殺 (“to kill”) and 生 (“life”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [saːt̚˧˦ sïŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂaːk̚˦˧˥ ʂɨn˧˧] ~ [saːk̚˦˧˥ sɨn˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʂaːk̚˦˥ ʂɨn˧˧] ~ [saːk̚˦˥ sɨn˧˧]

Noun

sát sinh

1. (chiefly in Buddhism) the act of killing humans or animals

Verb

sát sinh

1. (chiefly in Buddhism) to kill humans or animals

Usage notes

• Even though the Chinese word literally means "to kill life", plants, fungi and bacteria do not count, only animals (including humans) do.

Derived terms

• lò sát sinh (“slaughterhouse”)