Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 生活 | shēnghuó | /ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /səŋ²⁴ xuə²⁴/ (Mandarin, Dungan, Sinological IPA) |
| 生 | shēng | /ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ʂən⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA, shangkouzi pronunciation) |
| 活 | huó | /xu̯ɔ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xu̯ɔɻ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 活兒 / 活儿) |
When referring to the biological state of being alive or the act of surviving, use 活. If you are talking about one's lifestyle or the general act of living a life, use 生活. For formal or written contexts involving residing or inhabiting a place, you should use terms like 居住 or 居于.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 生活 is composed of the characters 生, meaning 'to be born' or 'life' and 活, meaning 'alive' or 'living'.
Which one should you use?
Use 活 when the focus is on the biological state of being alive or the act of surviving, such as living through a crisis. In contrast, use 生活 when referring to a person's lifestyle or the daily act of living, such as 'living a happy life'. For broadcasting contexts, the related form 直播 is used to mean 'live' as in 'seen or heard from a broadcast, as it happens'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe the continuous state of being alive, Chinese often uses the form 活着, which adds the aspect particle 着 to the verb 活. For example, to say 'He is still alive,' it is more natural to say 他还活着 rather than using the noun-heavy 生活.
How do you pronounce it?
shēnghuó (/ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ xu̯ɔ³⁵/)
Did you know?
- In Chinese, 生 can be used to describe something as 'raw' or 'uncooked' because it represents a state of nature before processing.
- The word 'to live' in Chinese has potential cognates in the Burmese word 'hrang' and the Mizo word 'hring'.
Examples in context
- 給湯姆活路！Let Tom live.This sentence uses 活 to express the idea of letting someone live.Tatoeba #8215729 by verdastelo9604, translation #2262231 by CK
- 她不会活太久。She won't live much longer.This sentence uses 活 to discuss the duration of someone's life.Tatoeba #5574500 by verdastelo9604, translation #1657660 by Spamster
- 我将会活下去。I will live.This sentence uses 活 to express the intent to survive.Tatoeba #5646165 by WilliamKwok, translation #4181237 by CansuVarol
- 他在北京居住了五年了。(Tā zài Běijīng jū zhù le wǔ nián le.)He has been living in Beijing for five years.
- 我在上海生活。(Wǒ zài Shànghǎi shēng huó.)I live in Shanghai.
- 我住在市中心。(Wǒ zhù zài shì zhōngxīn.)I live in the city center.
- 他最终决定定居在新加坡。(Tā zuìzhōng juédìng dìng jū zài xīn jiā pō.)He finally decided to settle down in Singapore.
- 112 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their views on a meaningful life.
- 俊杰 Junjie我们要好好生活。Wǒmen yào hǎohǎo shēnghuó.We should live our lives well.
- 佳怡 Jiayi没错，快乐最重要。Méicuò, kuàilè zuì zhòngyào.That's right, happiness is most important.
- 俊杰 Junjie你打算怎么生活？Nǐ dǎsuàn zěnme shēnghuó?How do you plan to live?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想简单地生活。Wǒ xiǎng jiǎndān de shēnghuó.I want to live simply.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “live” translations and entries 生活, 生, 活, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 活, 生, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
