Kiasi

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Look up kiasi in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Kiasi (simplified Chinese: 惊死; traditional Chinese: 驚死; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kiaⁿ-sí) is a Hokkien phrase which literally means afraid of death, to describe the attitude of being overly afraid or timid. Kiasi is commonly compared to Kiasu (literally: “fear of losing”); both are commonly used to describe attitudes where Kiasi or Kiasi-ism means to take extreme measures to avoid risk and Kiasu or Kiasu-ism means to take extreme means to achieve success. Kiasi is not as popular as kiasu, but is widely used by Hokkien-speaking people in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.