餓死事小，失節事大

Chinese

		to starve to death; to die of starvation	matter; thing; item matter; thing; item; work; affair	small; tiny; few small; tiny; few; young		to forfeit one's integrity; to be disloyal; to lose one's chastity	matter; thing; item matter; thing; item; work; affair	big; great; huge big; great; huge; large; major; wide; deep; oldest; eldest; doctor
trad. (餓死事小，失節事大)		餓死	事	小	，	失節	事	大
simp. (饿死事小，失节事大)		饿死	事	小	，	失节	事	大

Etymology

Quoted from the Song neo-Confucian philosopher Cheng Yi.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): èsǐ shì xiǎo, shījié shì dà

  (Zhuyin): ㄜˋ ㄙˇ ㄕˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ , ㄕ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄕˋ ㄉㄚˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ngo⁶ sei² si⁶ siu², sat¹ zit³ si⁶ daai⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: èsǐ shì xiǎo, shījié shì dà
    • Zhuyin: ㄜˋ ㄙˇ ㄕˋ ㄒㄧㄠˇ , ㄕ ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄕˋ ㄉㄚˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: èsǐh shìh siǎo, shihjié shìh dà
    • Wade–Giles: o⁴-ssŭ³ shih⁴ hsiao³, shih¹-chieh² shih⁴ ta⁴
    • Yale: è-sž shr̀ syǎu-, shr̄-jyé shr̀ dà
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ehsyy shyh sheau, shyjye shyh dah
    • Palladius: эсы ши сяо, шицзе ши да (esy ši sjao, šicze ši da)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀɤ⁵¹ sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ngo⁶ sei² si⁶ siu², sat¹ zit³ si⁶ daai⁶
    • Yale: ngoh séi sih síu, sāt jit sih daaih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ngo⁶ sei² si⁶ siu², sat⁷ dzit⁸ si⁶ daai⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ngo⁶ séi² xi⁶ xiu², sed¹ jid³ xi⁶ dai⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɔː²² sei̯³⁵ siː²² siːu̯³⁵ sɐt̚⁵ t͡siːt̚³ siː²² taːi̯²²/

Proverb

餓死事小，失節事大

1. death by starvation is a small matter, but losing one's chastity is a great matter
2. (figurative) integrity needs to be upheld even to the point of death