noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
on the verge of death; dying; moribund
Describes a person, animal, or thing that is near death or in a critical state. Often used in medical, news, or dramatic contexts. Can also be used figuratively for organizations or projects.
He was critically injured and on the verge of death.
The company is in a moribund state.
He suffered life-threatening injuries in a traffic accident.
The patient briefly fell into a critical, near-death state.
虫の息 is a vivid, idiomatic way to say someone is barely breathing and near death, whereas 瀕死 is the more formal, general term for being on the verge of death.
moribund state; near-death; barely alive
Standard kanji form; used in news and formal writing.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common but still encountered.
From Chinese 瀕死 (bīnsǐ), composed of 瀕 'to approach, to be on the brink of' and 死 'death'. The reading ひんし is the on'yomi of the characters.