Meaning of 人生
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- life (one's time on earth)
How to use 人生
人生 is used for life as a whole journey, often in reflective or emotional talk about experiences, choices, and meaning. It appears in set phrases like 人生观 (rénshēngguān, outlook on life). Example: 人生很短。(Rénshēng hěn duǎn.) Life is short.
人 (rén) means person and 生 (shēng) means to be born or to live. Put them together and you get a person's living, the whole span of one's life on earth.
Common mistake: Learners often use 人生 for everyday living or lifestyle, but 生活 (shēnghuó) is the word for daily life. Say 我的生活很忙 (My daily life is busy), not 我的人生很忙. Also keep both syllables clear: 生 here is a full first tone, shēng, unlike the neutral tone in 先生 (xiānsheng).
人生 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
人 rén · person · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
生 shēng · to grow · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 人生.
| 先生 | xiānsheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) |
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor; medical practitioner |
| 别人 | biérén | other people; others; other person |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member; (old) servant |
| 生气 | shēngqì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 学生 | xuéshēng | student; schoolchild |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 病人 | bìngrén | sick person; patient |
| 生病 | shēngbìng | to fall ill |
| 女生 | nǚshēng | schoolgirl; female student |
Questions about 人生
What does 人生 mean?
人生 (rénshēng) means "life (one's time on earth)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 人生?
人生 is made of 2 characters: 人 (2 strokes), 生 (5 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 人生 an HSK word?
Yes. 人生 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 人生 and 生命?
人生 is life as a lived experience, with its events and meaning. 生命 (shēngmìng) is life in the biological sense, being alive, as in 保护生命 (protect life).
Can 人生 be used in casual conversation?
Yes, especially in phrases like 这就是人生 (zhè jiù shì rénshēng), 'that's life.' It sounds slightly thoughtful, so it fits moments of reflection more than small talk about routines.