生死

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 生死 is read as せいし and is a noun covering both life and death or the question of whether someone is alive or dead.
• Basic usage: Use 生死を案じる for worrying whether someone is alive or dead and 生死を分ける for making the difference between life and death.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Difference between 生死 and 命
  • The former pairs the two possible states of life and death, whereas the latter focuses on life as something a living being possesses.