存活 (cún huó) — to survive | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

存活 focuses on staying alive through hardship (disasters, injury, harsh conditions). Stronger and more concrete than 生存 ('to exist / get by') and rarer than 幸存, which is the fixed phrase for surviving a disaster.

verb

to survive

Examples

存活。
Tā zài nà chǎng dì zhèn zhōng cún huó le xià lái.
He survived that earthquake.
存活。
Zhè zhǒng zhí wù néng zài jí duān huán jìng zhōng cún huó.
This plant can survive in extreme environments.
存活。
Shāng zhě bì xū dé dào jí shí zhì liáo cái néng cún huó.
The wounded must receive timely treatment to survive.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

存 means exist or live, and 活 means alive; both point to continuing to live.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

才

才cái存cún

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

存 pairs 子 with 才, which was used for the sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠯑

𠯑𠯑活huó

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Biology

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