残生 (cán shēng) — the remaining years of one's life (often after hardship or in old age); a wretched life; miserable existence; survival against the odds

Definition

Literary noun for 'one's remaining years' or 'wretched existence' — carries a heavy, melancholic tone tied to hardship or old age, far stronger than a neutral phrase like 余生.

noun
the remaining years of one's life (often after hardship or in old age)a wretched lifemiserable existencesurvival against the odds

Examples

  • 残生。
    Tā zài xiāng xia ān dù cán shēng.
    He peacefully spends his remaining years in the countryside.
  • 残生。
    Zhàn zhēng zhōng xǔ duō rén jiān nán dì wéi chí zhe cán shēng.
    During the war, many people barely maintained their wretched survival.
  • ，残生。
    Jīng lì zhè xiē kǔ nàn hòu, tā zhī xiǎng píng jìng dì dù guò cán shēng.
    After experiencing these hardships, he just wants to spend the rest of his life in peace.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

残cánremaining
生shēnglife

残 suggests remaining or damaged, and 生 means life; together it refers to the rest of one's 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殘; 残 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
歹歹dǎivicious, bones
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān殘cán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 殘 pairs 歹, a bone shape for injury, with 戔 for its sound; the simplified 残 is a later shorthand.

Open 残 →

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 →

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