Unwilling to accept defeat or injustice, even at the cost of one's life; refusing to give in or give up until death.
Era:
Early Modern
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
In the classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions, following the discovery of an embroidered bag with improper imagery, Lady Wang ordered a thorough search of all maids in the Grand View Garden.
This led to the expulsion of several maids, including Siqi (maid to Miss Yingchun) and the beautiful Qingwen.
Deeply distressed, Jia Baoyu secretly went to visit Qingwen at her humble home.
Qingwen was surprised and moved by his visit, but also felt profoundly wronged. She declared that she was unwilling to accept her fate even in death (死不甘心), as she believed she was unjustly accused of being a 'fox spirit' simply due to her attractiveness, without any actual misdeeds on her part. She could not reconcile herself to such an unfair accusation.