苟活

gǒuhuó

verb #29,167

Meanings

1 to live without dignity
2 to drag out an ignoble existence
3 to survive shamelessly

Characters

carelessly; for the moment; if only; grass (archaic)

to live; alive; living

Examples

他宁死也不愿意苟活于世。

Tā nìng sǐ yě bù yuànyì gǒuhuó yú shì.

He would rather die than live a shameful, undignified life.

在敌人的统治下，许多人只能苟活。

Zài dírén de tǒngzhì xià, xǔduō rén zhǐ néng gǒuhuó.

Under enemy rule, many people could only eke out a degraded existence.

Tips

usage

苟活 carries strong negative connotations — living in a way that compromises one's integrity, dignity, or principles. It often appears in literary and historical contexts. Compare: 偷生 (tōushēng, to cling to life ignominiously) and 茍且偷生 (gǒuqiě tōushēng, to muddle through life ignominiously).

Stroke Order

苟 gǒu

活 huó