饿死事小失节事大
è​sǐ​shì​xiǎo​shī​jié​shì​dà

integrity is more important than life

  1. 饿死 餓死 è​sǐ verb + particle
    to starve to death
    to die from hunger; to perish due to lack of food
  2. 事 shì noun
    matter
    matter; affair; thing; event
  3. 小 xiǎo adjective
    small
    small; tiny; few; minor; in area, volume, quantity, or power, being less than average or less than the object of comparison; opposite of 大 dà
  4. 失节 失節 shī​jié
    to be disloyal
    to lose one's integrity or moral principles; to be disloyal to one's country or cause
  5. 事 shì noun
    matter
    matter; affair; thing; event
  6. 大 dà adjective
    big
    big; large; great; vast; high in scale or intensity; (of a person) old; adult