<![CDATA[The Chinese animated film Big Fish and Begonia (Dà Yú Hǎi Táng) features sacrifice as its main theme, constructed through symbols, dialogue, and cultural values. This study aims to describe the meaning of sacrifice in the film using Barthes's semiotics. This is a qualitative descriptive study, with data sources consisting of dialogues between characters representing the act and value of sacrifice. Data were collected through listening and note-taking techniques, then analyzed based on the stages of denotation, connotation, and myth. The results show that at the denotative level, the dialogues present information about death, resurrection, the terms of exchange, and the consequences of reviving Kun. At the connotative level, sacrifice is interpreted as moral responsibility, reciprocity, courage to defy fate, and the willingness to give up the most precious thing to save others. The symbols of Guyu, the will of heaven, the debt of life, the price that must be paid, and the eye as the most precious body part emphasize the sacredness of life, which can only be restored through equal sacrifice. At the mythical level, this film establishes the belief that the balance of life and death is a cosmic law maintained through moral responsibility and commensurate redemption. Thus, sacrifice is understood as both an altruistic act and a cultural construct representing adherence to the cosmic order, the balance of life, and ethical responsibility for every choice.]]>
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