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活命

huómìng
verb #7,715

Meanings

  1. 1 to survive; to save one's life
  2. 2 to scrape by; to eke out a living

Examples

HSK 4
在战争年代，人们只想活命。
Zài zhànzhēng niándài, rénmen zhǐ xiǎng huómìng.
During wartime, people just wanted to survive.
HSK 7-9
他靠打零工活命。
Tā kào dǎ línggōng huómìng.
He scraped by doing odd jobs.
HSK 7-9
求你饶了我，给我一条活命！
Qiú nǐ ráo le wǒ, gěi wǒ yī tiáo huómìng!
I beg you, spare me and let me live!

Tips

usage
活命 has a desperate, bare-minimum survival connotation - it's about staying alive rather than living well. Often seen in historical dramas or stories about hardship.

Stroke Order

活 huó
命 mìng