Meaning of 生活
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to live
- life
- livelihood
How to use 生活
生活 usually means everyday life or living conditions, not life as opposed to death. It can be a noun or a verb meaning to live somewhere or in some way. Example: 我在北京生活了三年。(Wǒ zài Běijīng shēnghuó le sān nián.) I lived in Beijing for three years.
生 (shēng) means to be born or grow, and 活 (huó) means alive or active. Put together, being born and staying alive gives you 生活, your life and the way you live it day to day.
Common mistake: Learners often use 生活 for a single human life or a lifespan, but that is 生命 (shēngmìng), as in saving a life. Also keep the second syllable in second tone, huó, not huò.
生活 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
活 huó · to live · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 5
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- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 生活.
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 一生 | yīshēng | all one's life; throughout one's life |
Questions about 生活
What does 生活 mean?
生活 (shēnghuó) means "to live; life" and is used as a noun and verb.
How do you write 生活?
生活 is made of 2 characters: 生 (5 strokes), 活 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 生活 an HSK word?
Yes. 生活 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 生活 and 住 (zhù)?
住 means to reside or stay at a place, focusing on where you sleep. 生活 means to live in the fuller sense, including work, routine and lifestyle. You say 我住在上海 for your address, and 我在上海生活很开心 for how life there feels.
How do you say daily life or lifestyle with 生活?
Daily life is 日常生活 (rìcháng shēnghuó), and lifestyle is 生活方式 (shēnghuó fāngshì). You will also hear 生活水平 (shēnghuó shuǐpíng), meaning standard of living.