TongTong
Sign in

鲜活 (xiān huó) — (of food) fresh, live; vivid, lively

Definition

Highlights freshness or vividness with a sense of being alive — stronger than 新鲜 (just 'fresh/new') and more lively than 生动 ('vivid'). Often describes food, images, or language that feels lifelike.

adjective
(of food) freshlivevividlively

Examples

  • 鲜活，。
    Shì chǎng lǐ de xiā hěn xiān huó, dōu shì jīn tiān zǎo shàng lāo de.
    The shrimp in the market are very fresh; they were all caught this morning.
  • 鲜活，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de duì huà fēi cháng xiān huó, xiàng zhēn rén zài liáo tiān.
    The dialogue in this movie is very vivid, like real people chatting.
  • 鲜活。
    Zuò jiā yòng xiān huó de bǐ chù miáo huì le xiāng cūn shēng huó.
    The writer depicted rural life with vivid brushstrokes.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

鲜xiānfresh
活huóalive

The senses of 鲜 and 活 together mean fresh and lively.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鮮; 鲜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
魚魚yúfish
Sound part声符shēngfú
羴
羴shān鮮xiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鮮 pairs 魚 (fish) with 羴, which gives the sound; this note is about 鮮, not 鲜.

Open 鲜 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Food (General)Good & Bad

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.