致命 zhìmìng fatal
fatal; mortal; deadly; to sacrifice one's life
How to remember 致命: 致 to send + 命 life = fatal.
Characters
How it is used
- Fatal / deadly - 致命的一击 (zhìmìng de yì jī) a fatal blow, 致命错误 (zhìmìng cuòwù) a fatal mistake.
- Both literal (deadly injury/poison) and figurative (a mistake or weakness that ruins everything).
- 致命弱点 = fatal weakness / Achilles' heel - a very common collocation.
Example sentences
- 有时候口误对政治家来说是致命的。 Yǒushíhòu kǒuwù duì zhèngzhìjiā láishuō shì zhìmìng de.A slip of the tongue is sometimes fatal to a politician.