日常生活
rìcháng shēnghuó
The English phrase "everyday life" is translated into Chinese as 日常生活 (rìcháng shēnghuó). Wiktionary also lists 起居 (qǐjū) and 日常 (rìcháng).
Meaning: everyday life (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 日常生活 | rìcháng shēnghuó | |
| 起居 | qǐjū | |
| 日常 | rìcháng | neologism, slang |
日常生活 is used to describe the general concept of one's everyday life or the experiences of daily living. The shorter form 日常 is often used in modern contexts as a neologism or slang to mean "daily" or "routine."
What does it mean word for word?
The term 日常生活 is composed of 日常 (daily/routine) and 生活 (life).
Which one should you use?
日常生活 refers to the broad concept of everyday life, whereas 起居 specifically refers to a person's daily routine of rising and sleeping or their daily living habits.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 日常 can function as an adjective meaning "daily" or "routine" when placed before a noun, such as in the phrase 日常用品 (daily necessities).
How do you pronounce it?
rìcháng shēnghuó
Did you know?
- While 生活 means 'life' in the context of daily living, it also means 'livelihood' or 'making a living', so saying one's 生活 is difficult can mean they are struggling financially.
- The term 起居 (qǐjū) is composed of the characters for 'rising' and 'sitting', literally describing the physical movement of getting up and sitting down throughout the day.
- In modern internet culture, 日常 is often used as a noun to describe 'slice-of-life' content, similar to how anime fans use the term to describe stories about the mundane activities of characters.
Examples in context
- 电视在日常生活中起着重要的作用。TV plays an important part in everyday life.This sentence shows how 日常生活 is used to describe the role of television in daily life.Tatoeba #472987 by fucongcong, translation #39189 by CK
- 我的日常生活非常充实。My everyday life is very fulfilling.
- 城市的日常百态令我着迷。The diverse aspects of city life fascinate me.
- 我们要习惯这种日常生活。Wǒmen yào xíguàn zhè zhǒng rìcháng shēnghuó.We need to get used to this everyday life.
- 这些琐事构成了我的日常生活。Zhèxiē suǒshì gòuchéngle wǒ de rìcháng shēnghuó.These trivial matters make up my everyday life.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing how to reduce stress.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你觉得日常生活压力大吗？Nǐ juédé rìcháng shēnghuó yālì dà ma?Do you think there is too much stress in everyday life?
- 志强 Zhiqiang确实，志强觉得最近太累了。Quèshí, Zhìqiáng juédé zuìjìn tài lèi le.Indeed, Zhiqiang feels too tired lately.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen试着在日常生活中多休息吧。Shìzhe zài rìcháng shēnghuó zhōng duō xiūxi ba.Try to get more rest in your everyday life.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好的，晓雯，我试试看。Hǎo de, Xiǎowén, wǒ shìshì kàn.Okay, Xiaowen, I will try that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “everyday life” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
