noun
dying for one's country
A yojijukugo expressing the idea of sacrificing one's life to repay one's country. Formal and somewhat literary; not used in everyday conversation.
彼は一死報国の精神で戦場に赴いた。
He went to the battlefield with the spirit of dying for his country.
A yojijukugo composed of 一死 (one death) and 報国 (repay one's country). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it reflects a traditional patriotic sentiment.