Definition
生还 is a formal verb meaning 'to survive and return' — it's almost always used in the context of accidents, disasters, or dangerous situations where someone's life was at risk. Unlike the plain English 'return alive', 生还 carries a strong implication of narrow escape from danger. You'll find it in news reports (e.g. 空难中只有两人生还 'only two survived the plane crash'). It is rarely used in casual conversation; in everyday speech you'd say 活下来 (huó xiàlái) instead.
v.
to survive (a disaster, accident)to return alive
Examples
- ，。Zài zhè cì dìzhèn zhōng, zhǐyǒu shí jǐ rén shēng huán.Only a dozen or so people survived this earthquake.
- 生还。Jiùyuán duì xiāngxìn hái yǒu kuànggōng kěnéng shēng huán.The rescue team believes there may still be miners who could survive.
- ，生还，。Kōngnàn fāshēng hòu, suǒyǒu chéngkè quánbù shēng huán, kān chēng qíjì.After the plane crash, all passengers survived — it was a miracle.
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