救生 (jiù shēng) — to save a life | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

救生 means 'to save lives' and is used as a modifier (救生衣, 救生员) rather than a standalone verb. It focuses on rescue from danger, especially drowning or emergencies.

verb

to save a life

Examples

救生。
Tā de gōng zuò shì měi tiān zài hǎi biān jiù shēng.
His job is to save lives at the beach every day.
。
Tā qù nián zài zhè ge hǎi tān jiù guò sān cì shēng.
He saved lives three times at this beach last year.
救生。
Yī shēng měi tiān dōu zài yī yuàn jiù shēng.
Doctors save lives at the hospital every day.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

救 means rescue and 生 means life, together meaning to rescue a life.

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

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

求

求qiú救jiù

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 救, 求 gives the sound, and 攴 is the action part.

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

屮屮chèbud
一一yīground

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

Appears in

Safety & Danger

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