suicide
suicide — 名詞
1. the act of deliberately ending your own life
自殺
故意終結自己生命的行為
the act of deliberately ending your own life
Nikhil's uncle died by suicide, leaving the family in deep shock.
Nikhil 的叔叔自殺身亡，家人陷入巨大震驚。
collocation: die by suicide (preferred modern phrasing)
Studies show that suicide rates rise during periods of economic hardship.
研究顯示，經濟困難時期自殺率會上升。
collocation: suicide rates
A student's suicide led the school to hire a full-time counsellor.
一名學生的自殺事件促使學校聘請了專職輔導老師。
Talking openly about suicide can help prevent it, Trang learned from her therapist.
Trang 從治療師那裡學到，公開談論自殺有助於預防自殺。
- self-killing
clinical or technical; very rare in everyday speech
- taking one's own life
gentler, more euphemistic phrasing; common in formal writing and news reports
- self-destruction
broader meaning that can include gradual harmful behaviour, not necessarily a single act
用法筆記
In modern English, 'die by suicide' is preferred over 'commit suicide', which some people feel has a judgmental or criminal tone. Use 'die by suicide', 'take one's own life', or 'end one's life' instead.
常見錯誤
2. a person who dies by their own choice and action
自殺者
故意結束自己生命的人
a person who dies by their own choice and action
The coroner identified the suicide as a retired teacher from Tainan.
法醫確認該自殺者為一名來自台南的退休教師。
Support groups offer comfort to the families of suicides in the community.
支持團體為社區中自殺者的家屬提供安慰。
collocation: families of suicides
The documentary focused on the stories of young suicides in Japan.
這部紀錄片聚焦於日本年輕自殺者的故事。
Researchers found that many suicides had seen a doctor in the month before their death.
研究人員發現，許多自殺者在死前一個月內曾看過醫生。
- suicide victim
more common in news and public health; some feel it implies a passive role
- person who died by suicide
longer but considered the most respectful phrasing
用法筆記
This sense is uncommon and can sound clinical or impersonal. In everyday English, phrases like 'people who die by suicide' or 'suicide victims' are more natural.
3. an action that has the likely result of destroying your own success or position
自毀行為
導致自己失敗的行為
an action that has the likely result of destroying your own success or position
Raising prices during a recession would be political suicide for any government.
在經濟衰退期間調漲價格，對任何政府而言都是政治自殺。
collocation: political suicide
The manager knew that rejecting the merger meant career suicide.
經理知道拒絕合併意味著職業生涯的自殺。
collocation: career suicide
For a young actor, turning down that film role was professional suicide.
對一名年輕演員來說，拒絕那個電影角色是專業上的自殺行為。
The CEO called the expansion plan economic suicide and stopped it immediately.
執行長稱這個擴張計畫是經濟自殺，並立即予以停止。
- self-destruction
broader; can describe gradual patterns, not just one decision
- self-sabotage
focuses on the psychological tendency to undermine oneself
- ruin
more general; does not imply the person caused it themselves
- self-preservation
the instinct to protect one's own success or well-being
用法筆記
This figurative sense is always about a specific action or decision, not a general state. It combines with nouns that name the area being damaged: political, career, social, economic, professional.
常見錯誤
suicide — 形容詞
1. connected with or involving the deliberate act of ending your own life
自殺的
與自殺相關的
connected with or involving the deliberate act of ending your own life
The police found a suicide note on the kitchen table.
警方在廚房桌上找到了一封遺書。
collocation: suicide note
Hui volunteers for a charity that runs a suicide hotline for young people.
Hui 在一家為年輕人提供自殺防治專線的慈善機構擔任志工。
collocation: suicide hotline
The hospital now uses a new method for suicide risk assessment.
這家醫院現在使用新的自殺風險評估方法。
His sudden calmness after weeks of distress was a clear suicide warning sign.
他在連續數週的痛苦後突然平靜下來，這是一個明顯的自殺警訊。
- suicidal
the more common adjective for describing a person's state or feelings; 'suicide' as adjective is limited to nouns describing the act itself
用法筆記
This adjective is almost always used before a noun (attributive position), not after a linking verb. Common compound nouns include suicide note, suicide attempt, suicide bomber, and suicide prevention.
常見錯誤
suicide — 動詞
1. to choose to end your own life rather than continue living
自殺
故意結束自己的生命
to choose to end your own life rather than continue living
The patient suicided while on a short leave from the hospital.
該病人在醫院短期請假期間自殺身亡。
verb: intransitive, clinical register
After the investigation began, the former director suicided in his apartment.
調查開始後，前主管在其公寓中自殺。
The report noted that several elderly residents had suicided in the past year.
報告指出，過去一年內有數名老年居民自殺死亡。
According to the file, the suspect suicided before the police arrived.
根據檔案記錄，嫌犯在警方抵達前自殺。
- die by suicide
the preferred modern phrasing; works as a verb phrase
- kill oneself
more direct and common in everyday speech
用法筆記
The verb 'suicide' (to suicide / suicided / suiciding) is rare and belongs to formal or clinical language. In everyday English, people say 'died by suicide' or 'killed themselves'. Avoid using 'suicide' as a verb in general writing — it can sound jarring or technical.