拼命

pīnmìng

adverb HSK 7-9 #4,117

Meanings

他拼命地跑，终于赶上了公交车。

Tā pīnmìng de pǎo, zhōngyú gǎnshàng le gōngjiāochē.

He ran desperately and finally caught the bus.

她拼命工作来养活家人。

Tā pīnmìng gōngzuò lái yǎnghuó jiārén.

She works with all her might to support her family.

别拼命了，身体最重要。

Bié pīnmìng le, shēntǐ zuì zhòngyào.

Don't push yourself so hard; health is most important.

memory

拼 (to go all out) + 命 (life) = literally 'betting one's life,' meaning to do something with desperate effort.

usage

Can be used as an adverb (拼命跑 = run desperately) or a verb (他在拼命 = he's going all out). The tone can be admiring or cautionary.

拼 pīn

命 mìng