半死不活

bànsǐ-bùhuó

idiom #24,833

Meanings

1 half dead
2 barely alive
3 listless / without energy

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

他工作了一整天，回到家累得半死不活。

Tā gōngzuò le yì zhěngtiān, huídào jiā lèi de bànsǐ-bùhuó.

He worked a whole day and came home exhausted, barely alive.

HSK 6

会议室里的气氛半死不活，没人说话。

Huìyìshì lǐ de qìfēn bànsǐ-bùhuó, méi rén shuōhuà.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was lifeless; no one spoke.

HSK 7-9

这棵树已经半死不活，需要好好照料。

Zhè kē shù yǐjīng bànsǐ-bùhuó, xūyào hǎohǎo zhàoliào.

This tree is half dead and needs proper care.

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