活口 (huó kǒu) — living witness or survivor of an incident, especially one who can provide information; (colloquial) loophole or way out; leeway in wording that allows for flexibility
Definition
Two distinct senses: a 'living witness/survivor' who can provide information, and (colloquially) a 'loophole' or flexibility in wording. Pick the sense by context — not a contradiction, just a polysemous noun.
noun
living witness or survivor of an incidentespecially one who can provide information(colloquial) loophole or way outleeway in wording that allows for flexibility
Examples
- 活口，。Jǐng fāng xiǎng jìn bàn fǎ bǎo hù nà ge huó kǒu, yīn wèi tā zhī dào tài duō mì mì.The police did everything to protect that witness, because he knew too many secrets.
- 活口，。Hé tong lǐ liú le yí gè huó kǒu, wǒ men kě yǐ suí shí biàn gēng tiáo kuǎn.There is a loophole in the contract; we can change the terms anytime.
- 活口。Zhè cì bào zhà shì jiàn wéi yī de huó kǒu yǐ jīng ān quán zhuǎn yí.The sole survivor of this explosion has been safely relocated.
Appears in
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