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活命 (huó mìng) — to survive; to barely make a living; (formal) to save a life

Definition

A verb meaning 'to survive' or 'to barely stay alive' (他每天只吃一顿饭，勉强活命). The formal sense 'to save a life' is rare; most usage focuses on struggle to live.

verb
to surviveto barely make a living(formal) to save a life

Examples

  • ，活命。
    Tā měi tiān zhī chī yí dùn fàn, miǎn qiǎng huó mìng.
    He only eats one meal a day, barely surviving.
  • ，。
    Zài zhè zhǒng tiáo jiàn xià, tā huó bù liǎo mìng.
    Under these conditions, he can't survive.
  • 活命，。
    Wèi le huó mìng, tā shén me gōng zuò dōu zuò.
    To survive, he would do any job.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

活huókeep alive
命mìnglife

活 (keep alive) and 命 (life) combine to mean save a life or barely 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
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.

Open 活 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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