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生气勃勃 (shēng qì bó bó) — full of vitality, vigorous, lively

Definition

Set-phrase idiom (chengyu) meaning 'bursting with life and energy' — a vivid, written-style way to praise scenery, people, or economies that are vigorous and growing fast.

idiom
full of vitalityvigorouslively

Examples

  • ，生气勃勃。
    Chūn tiān lái le, dà dì yí piàn shēng qì bó bó de jǐng xiàng.
    Spring has arrived, and the land is full of vitality.
  • 生气勃勃，。
    Zhè xiē nián qīng rén shēng qì bó bó, duì wèi lái chōng mǎn xī wàng.
    These young people are full of vitality and full of hope for the future.
  • ，生气勃勃，。
    Gǎi gé kāi fàng hòu, zhōng guó jīng jì shēng qì bó bó, xùn sù fā zhǎn.
    After reform and opening up, China's economy was full of vitality and developed rapidly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

生气vitality
生shēnglife气qìbreath
偏正Modifier + head
勃勃vigorous
勃bóvigorous勃bóvigorous
重叠Reduplication

生气 is vitality, and 勃勃 means vigorous, so the whole phrase describes full vitality.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
孛
孛bèi勃⁰bó
Same sound today

勃 pairs 力, which carries the sense of power or force, with 孛 as a sound part.

Open 勃 →

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
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
孛
孛bèi勃⁰bó
Same sound today

勃 pairs 力, which carries the sense of power or force, with 孛 as a sound part.

Open 勃 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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