玉砕
ぎょくさい honorable death; death without surrender
Why it means this
玉 (a jewel) + 砕 (shatter) — 'shattering like a jewel rather than surrendering like a roof tile'; fighting to annihilation. A euphemism for suicidal last stands in WWII.
Breakdown
Each character links to its full entry — origin story, stroke order, and readings.