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生生不息 (shēng shēng bù xī) — to be born and reborn endlessly; to continue without ceasing

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning life, nature, or traditions continuing and renewing themselves endlessly, generation after generation. The structure pairs 生 ('be born, generate') with 不息 ('not rest, unceasing').

idiom
to be born and reborn endlesslyto continue without ceasing

Examples

  • 生生不息。
    Shēng mìng de lì liàng zài yú shēng shēng bù xī.
    The power of life lies in endless renewal.
  • 生生不息，。
    Dà zì rán shēng shēng bù xī, sì jì lún huí.
    Nature endlessly renews itself, with the cycle of four seasons.
  • 生生不息，。
    Zhè zhǒng wén huà chuán tǒng shēng shēng bù xī, dài dài xiāng chuán.
    This cultural tradition continues endlessly, passed down from generation to generation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

生生life after life
生shēnglife生shēnglife
重叠Reduplication
不息never ceasing
不bùnot息xīcease
偏正Modifier + head

生生 means life after life and 不息 means never ceasing, together expressing endless vitality.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

In 息, 自 is nose and 心 is heart, showing breath or life passing through one's nose.

Open 息 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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