丧生
sàng shēng · HSK 7
to lose one's life
⚰️ 丧 = lose/mourning + 生 = life, so 丧生 = to lose one's life
丧 carries the sense of mourning or losing something, and 生 means life or living. Joined together they spell out the loss of life itself, i.e. to die. The shēng here is the same 生 found in 生命 (life).
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.