Kiasi

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Kiasi (Chinese: 驚死, 惊死; POJ: kiaⁿ-sí) is a Hokkien phrase, literally means afraid of death, to describe the attitude of being overly afraid or timid. Kiasi is not as popular as kiasu, but is widely used by Hokkien-speaking people in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

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[edit] Etymology and usage

The history of kiasi can be traced back to the Chinese idiom 贪生怕死 (Pinyin: tān shēng pà sǐ), which describes a person's extreme fear of death, and may drive a person to lose his sense of justice and righteousness. The idiom was originally applied to soldiers that are cowered on the battle field. In modern usage, it refers to people who are irrationally frightful to undertake any task.

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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