殉教

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 殉教 (じゅんきょう) is a noun that also forms a する verb for martyrdom, dying while holding to one's faith.
• Basic usage: It describes people in historical records who were martyred or a play portraying a faithful person's martyrdom.
  • 歴史の授業で殉教した人々の記録を読んだ。 — In history class, we read records about martyrs.
  • 劇は信仰を守った人物の殉教を描いている。 — The play portrays the martyrdom of a person who held to their faith.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Person and event
  • 殉教した人々 identifies people who were martyred, while 人物の殉教 identifies the event involving that person. Do not equate it automatically with every kind of sacrifice.