perish

Compared meaning: to lose life, as of a plant (verb).

比较义项：（植物等）枯萎、死去（动词）。

• die

  The plain, everyday word for losing life or vitality; neutral register, used casually about any plant, animal, or person, often with adverbs like quickly or slowly.

  最普通、日常的说法，指失去生命或活力；语气中性，可随意用于植物、动物或人，常与 quickly、slowly 等副词搭配。

  The roses died within a week because nobody watered them.

  因为没人浇水，那些玫瑰一周之内就枯死了。

• perish 本词

  A more formal, literary word, often implying dying on a large scale or because of harsh conditions; suggests destruction as much as loss of life, common in written or news style.

  更正式、书面化的说法，常暗示因恶劣环境而大批死亡，带有“毁灭”的意味多于单纯“失去生命”，多见于书面语或新闻报道。

  Thousands of young trees perished in the region's worst drought in decades.

  数千棵幼树在该地区数十年来最严重的干旱中枯死了。

Die and perish both mean losing life, like a wilting plant, but they differ. Die is the plain word for plants, animals, or people. Perish is formal, often meaning dying on a large scale or in harsh conditions. Their other meanings are not compared here.

两词都可指植物因缺水缺光而枯死，但 die 是最普通、口语化的说法，可用于几乎任何失去生命或活力的事物；perish 更正式、书面化，常带有“因恶劣环境而大批死亡/毁灭”的意味，语气更强烈。这里不比较 die 表示人或动物“死亡、去世”的常见义，也不比较 perish 表示物品“腐烂、老化损坏”的引申义。