cửu tử nhứt sanh
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Nine parts death, one part life — odds narrowed to a single thread of survival.
Literally: nine dead, one alive
Examples
Ca mổ ấy cửu tử nhứt sanh.That operation was nine parts death, one part life.
Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “cửu tử nhứt sanh” mean?
Nine parts death, one part life — odds narrowed to a single thread of survival. Literally: nine dead, one alive
Is “cửu tử nhứt sanh” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.