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性命 (xìng mìng) — life (one's existence, especially as something precious or at risk)

Definition

性命 emphasizes one's own life as something precious and at risk. Compare 生命 (life as a general concept or living being) and 生死 (a life-and-death pair, often as an adjective).

noun
life (one's existence, especially as something precious or at risk)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，性命。
    Tā wèi le jiù yí gè hái zi, chà diǎn diū le xìng mìng.
    He almost lost his life to save a child.
  • 性命。
    xìng mìng Bǐ jīn qián zhòng yào dé duō.
    Life is much more important than money.
  • ，性命。
    Zài nà chǎng zhàn zhēng zhōng, hěn duō rén dōu xiàn chū le zì jǐ de xìng mìng.
    In that war, many people gave their lives.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

性xìnglife
命mìnglife

性 and 命 both point to life, giving the sense of one's existence.

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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