How to say “life” in Chinese
life (existence)
“Life” in Chinese is 生命, shēng mìng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
生命 is read shēng mìng: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
In 学生 it means “one who”: one who studies. It is read with the neutral tone: sheng.
This is 令 “order” with an added 口 “mouth”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “生命”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 生命. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 生命是脆弱的shēngmìngshìcuìruòdeLife is fragile.
- 野草的生命力很强yěcǎodeshēngmìnglìhěnqiángWeeds are very hardy.
- 一个新生命诞生了yígexīnshēngmìngdànshēngleA new life was born.
More words from the lesson “Bad habits”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “life” in Chinese?
“Life” in Chinese is 生命, pinyin shēngmìng.
What does 生命 mean?
生命 (shēngmìng) means “life (existence)”.
How do you write 生命?
生命 is 2 characters: 生 (shēng) — be born, life; 命 (mìng) — life, fate; order. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 生命?
生命 is read shēngmìng. Tones: shēng — first tone, mìng — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“life” in the lesson “Bad habits”
This word is from the topic “Health and habits” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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