Chinese word

性命

Pronunciation

Pinyinxìng mìng

Meaning

  • nounlife

Example

医生尽力挽救他的性命。yī shēng jìn lì wǎn jiù tā de xìng mìng

The doctor did everything he could to save his life.

Illustration for 性命 (life)

More examples

危重患者及时手术，才保住了他的性命。wēi zhòng huàn zhě jí shí shǒu shù cái bǎo zhù le tā de xìng mìng

The critically ill patient underwent surgery in time, which finally saved his life.

Core concept

A person's existence pictured as a vital thread that danger may cut or another person may protect.

Common phrases

  • 挽救性命wǎn jiù xìng mìng

    save a life

  • 保住性命bǎo zhù xìng mìng

    save one's life

  • 疾病夺走性命jí bìng duó zǒu xìng mìng

    disease takes a life

Similar words

生命shēng mìng: The condition of being alive and the general concept of life.
命mìng: The life of a person, considered simply as being alive.
人命rén mìng: One individual human life.
生死shēng sǐ: The condition or issue of living or dying.

Definition in Chinese

指人的生命，与“命”“生命”近义，但语体偏正式，常用于强调生命受到威胁或需要保护的场合。zhǐ rén de shēng mìng yǔ mìng shēng mìng jìn yì dàn yú tǐ piān zhèng shì cháng yòng yú qiáng diào shēng mìng shòu dào wēi xié huò xū yào bǎo hù de chǎng hé

Word origin

性命 (xìngmìng, "life") combines 性 (xìng, "nature") and 命 (mìng, "life or fate"), an old pairing that developed into a formal expression for a person's life in serious circumstances.

Usage tips

  • Recognizing this word helps make sense of hospital statements, safety warnings, and news reports where the formal tone signals that the situation is grave.

Opposites

Related words

  • 性命攸关xìng mìng yōu guāna matter of life and deathidiom

Word lists with this word