Meaning of 去世
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to pass away
- to die
How to use 去世
去世 is the polite, respectful way to say someone has died, used in news, conversation and writing. It is intransitive, so it does not take an object. Example: 他爷爷去年去世了。(Tā yéye qùnián qùshì le.) His grandfather passed away last year.
去世 is built from 去 (qù), to leave, and 世 (shì), the world, as in 世界 (shìjiè). To pass away is to leave the world.
Common mistake: Learners often say 去世 about animals or use it bluntly where 死 (sǐ) fits. 去世 is a respectful word for people, while 死 is plain and can sound harsh about someone's relative. Also remember 去世 cannot take an object, so you cannot say 去世他.
去世 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
去 qù · to go · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
世 shì · generation · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 去世.
Questions about 去世
What does 去世 mean?
去世 (qùshì) means "to pass away; to die" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 去世?
去世 is made of 2 characters: 去 (5 strokes), 世 (5 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 去世 an HSK word?
Yes. 去世 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 去世 and 死?
死 (sǐ) is the neutral, direct word for die and works for people, animals and plants. 去世 is softer and more respectful and is used only for people. When talking about someone's family member, 去世 is the safer choice.
How do I say how long ago someone passed away?
Put the time before 去世 or use a duration after it with 了. For example, 她去世三年了 (tā qùshì sān nián le) means she passed away three years ago. You can also say 她三年前去世了 (tā sān nián qián qùshì le).