You can’t have both, and you have to sacrifice your life for justice: If life and justice cannot be obtained at the same time, I would rather give up my life for justice.
She: give up; Sheng: life; Take: seek; Yi: justice. To sacrifice one's life to obtain justice means to sacrifice one's life for justice.
The words come from "Mencius Gaozi: What I want when I go up to the fish": "Life is what I want, and righteousness is also what I want. You cannot have both. You must give up life and take righteousness." This sentence by Mencius later became the idiom "sacrifice one's life for justice", which means not being afraid of sacrifice for the cause of justice. Often used to praise others for their commendable spirit. For example: Chinese culture is splendid, and there is no shortage of benevolent and righteous people. There are many people who sacrifice their lives for righteousness.