taam1 sang1貪生贪生

Jyutpingtaam1 sang1

Yaletāam sāng

Definition

To cling cravenly to life; to be mortally afraid of death.

colloquialpeopleemotion

How it's used

Often paired with 怕死 to form the four character idiom 貪生怕死, which is the most common way to express this sentiment in daily speech. It carries a strong negative connotation of cowardice and lack of moral courage. Using it alone is less common than the full idiom, as the pairing provides a more complete description of someone's fearful character.

Examples

keoi5佢gam3咁taam1貪sang1生paa3怕sei2死，dim2點wui2會hang2肯heoi3去mou6冒him2險aa1呀？

He is so cowardly and afraid of death, how could he be willing to take risks?

zou6做jan4人m4唔hou2好gam3咁taam1貪sang1生，jau5有si4時jiu3要jung5勇gam2敢di1啲。

Don't be so cravenly clinging to life, sometimes you need to be braver.

Common phrases

taam1貪sang1生paa3怕sei2死

cowardly and afraid of death

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe a normal, healthy desire to stay alive, as it specifically implies a shameful or excessive fear of death that prevents someone from doing what is right or necessary.