Zài nà duàn jiānnán de suìyuè lǐ, tāmen zhǐshì zài tōushēng.
During those difficult years, they were merely clinging to existence.
Tips
usage
偷生 carries a negative connotation — it implies surviving at the cost of one's dignity or principles. It often appears with 苟且 (gǒuqiě, meaning 'to muddle along') as 苟且偷生.
