death and life; death or life
Archaic noun referring to the concepts of death and life together, often in a philosophical or existential context. Modern Japanese typically uses 生死 (せいし) or 生き死に (いきしに).
See also: 生死 (せいし) · 生き死に (いきしに)
In old texts, death and life are spoken of as an unavoidable fate.
Archaic noun meaning simply 'death'. This usage is rare and mostly found in historical or literary contexts.
That ancient document says not to fear death.
Standard kanji spelling with regular okurigana.
Irregular okurigana usage; the same kanji form is more commonly read せいし for a different word.
Compound of 死に (しに, continuative form of 死ぬ 'to die') and 生き (いき, continuative form of 生きる 'to live'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of pairing opposite verbs to express a concept.