feigning death; playing dead; thanatosis
Biological term for an animal's defensive behavior of pretending to be dead. Also used metaphorically for humans pretending to be dead or unresponsive.
Some insects feign death when attacked by a predator.
彼は上司に叱られて、まるで擬死のように黙り込んだ。
Scolded by his boss, he fell silent as if playing dead.
Compound of 擬 (gi, 'imitation') and 死 (shi, 'death'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in modern biology.