huó

live; save; work; living; alive

HSK Level 3

Example Sentences

他活得很健康。

tā huó dé hěn jiàn kāng.

He lives a very healthy life.

她活得很充实。

tā huó dé hěn chōng shí.

She lives a very fulfilling life.

他们活得很幸福。

tā men huó dé hěn xìng fú.

They live a very happy life.

Synonyms

(shēng)

live

(dòng)

move

Antonyms

(sǐ)

dead

(jìng)

still

(sǐ)

dead

(jìng)

still

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 活 (huó) is composed of two parts: the radical 氵(shuǐ), which represents water, and the phonetic component 舌 (shé), which represents the tongue. The original meaning of 活 was "to drink", which is related to the idea of water being essential for life. Over time, the meaning of 活 expanded to include other meanings such as "to live", "to be alive", and "to be active".The character 活 is also used in a number of compound words, such as 生活 (shēnghuó, "life"), 活动 (huódòng, "activity"), and 活泼 (huópō, "lively"). In these compounds, the meaning of 活 is often related to the idea of movement or activity.The character 活 is a common character in Chinese, and it is used in a wide variety of contexts. It is an important character to learn for HSK learners, as it is used in many everyday words and phrases.