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养活 (yǎng huo) — to support / provide for (a family, dependents); to raise / keep (animals)

Definition

养活 emphasizes the 'keep alive / put food on the table' side: earning enough to support a family, or raising an animal to maturity. It is more concrete than the broader 养 and more everyday than the formal 赡养 or 供养.

verb
to support / provide for (a family, dependents)to raise / keep (animals)

Examples

  • ，养活。
    Tā měi tiān zǎo chū wǎn guī, jiù shì wèi le yǎng huo yì jiā rén.
    He goes out early and returns late every day just to support his family.
  • 养活。
    Nǐ yǎng huo de jī cháng dé zhēn hǎo.
    The chickens you raise are growing really well.
  • 养活。
    Tā dú zì bǎ hái zi yǎng huo dà le.
    She raised the child on her own.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

养yǎngraise
活huóalive

养 gives nourish or raise, while 活 adds alive, so 养活 means keeping someone or something alive.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 養; 养 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 養 uses 羊 as a sound part and 食 as a meaning part.

Open 养 →

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 7-9Agriculture & FarmingFamily & Kinship

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