生动 meaning in English
(of descriptions, writing etc) vivid; lively
Meaning of 生动
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (of descriptions, writing etc) vivid; lively
How to use 生动
生动 is usually used for descriptions, stories, lessons, language, or images, not for energetic people. It often appears after 很 or before 的 plus a noun. Example: 他讲的故事很生动。(Tā jiǎng de gùshi hěn shēngdòng.) The story he told was very vivid.
生 (shēng) means alive or living, and 动 (dòng) means to move. Something that seems alive and moving on the page is vivid, so 生动 describes writing or speech that feels lively.
Common mistake: Learners often use 生动 to describe a lively, active person or a busy party. For a person, use 活泼 (huópō), and for a lively atmosphere use 热闹 (rènao). Save 生动 for how something is described or presented.
生动 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.
生 shēng · to grow · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
动 dòng · to move · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 生动.
| 先生 | xiānsheng | teacher; gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.) |
| 医生 | yīshēng | doctor; medical practitioner |
| 生气 | shēngqì | to get angry; to be furious; vitality; liveliness |
| 学生 | xuéshēng | student; schoolchild |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 生病 | shēngbìng | to fall ill |
| 女生 | nǚshēng | schoolgirl; female student |
| 男生 | nánshēng | schoolboy; male student |
| 大学生 | dàxuéshēng | university student; college student |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
| 中学生 | zhōngxuéshēng | middle-school student; high school student |
Questions about 生动
What does 生动 mean?
生动 (shēngdòng) means "(of descriptions, writing etc) vivid; lively" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 生动?
生动 is made of 2 characters: 生 (5 strokes), 动 (6 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 生动 an HSK word?
Yes. 生动 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 生动 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 生动 is written 生動.
What is the difference between 生动 and 形象?
Both can describe vivid expression. 形象 (xíngxiàng) stresses that something is concrete and easy to picture, while 生动 stresses that it feels lively and engaging. They often appear together as 生动形象.
Can 生动 be used as an adverb?
Yes, add 地 (de) before a verb. For example, 他生动地描述了那次旅行 (Tā shēngdòng de miáoshù le nà cì lǚxíng) means He vividly described that trip.