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半死不活

bànsǐbùhuó
idiom #24,833

Meanings

  1. 1 half dead
  2. 2 barely alive
  3. 3 listless / without energy

Examples

他工作了一整天，回到家累得半死不活。
Tā gōngzuò le yì zhěngtiān, huí dào jiā lèi de bànsǐbùhuó.
He worked a whole day and came home exhausted, barely alive.
这棵树已经半死不活，需要好好照料。
Zhè kē shù yǐjīng bànsǐbùhuó, xūyào hǎohǎo zhàoliào.
This tree is half dead and needs proper care.
会议室里的气氛半死不活，没人说话。
Huìyìshì lǐ de qìfēn bànsǐbùhuó, méi rén shuōhuà.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was lifeless; no one spoke.

Tips

usage
半死不活 can describe people, animals, or even abstract things like a business or atmosphere. When describing people, it conveys extreme exhaustion or listlessness rather than literal near-death.

Stroke Order

半 bàn
死 sǐ
不 bù
活 huó