Chinese word

活

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuó

Meaning

  • verblive

Example

他还活着。tā hái huó zhe

He is still alive.

Illustration for 活 (live)

More examples

他努力想活下去。tā nǔ lì xiǎng huó xià qù

He is trying hard to stay alive.

Core concept

A living or active state that keeps moving instead of stopping.

Common phrases

  • 活着huó zhe

    be alive

  • 活下去huó xià qù

    continue living

  • 活下来huó xià lái

    survive

Similar words

活着huó zhe: Remain alive and not dead.
生活shēng huó: Manage daily life, including food, housing, and other everyday needs.
住zhù: Live in a particular place as a resident.
干活gàn huó: Work by using physical effort for a job or household task.

Definition in Chinese

有生命并能进行动作或活动；口语中常用以表示仍然生存，也可引申为有活力或能做事的状态。yǒu shēng mìng bìng néng jìn xíng dòng zuò huò huó dòng kóu yǔ zhōng cháng yòng yǐ biǎo shì réng rán shēng cún yě kě yǐn shēn wèi yǒu huó lì huò néng zuò shì de zhuàng tài

Word origin

活 (huó, "live") is a semantic-phonetic character: 氵 (shuǐ, "water") points to flowing movement, while 舌 (shé, "tongue") mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • English learners often expect this verb to mean only biological life, but everyday Chinese also uses it for a person who remains energetic or capable of working.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word