shēng
give birth; be born
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我生在北京。
wǒ shēng zài běi jīng.
I was born in Beijing.
他生得很帅。
tā shēng de hěn shuài.
He is very handsome.
人生无常。
rén shēng wú cháng.
Life is unpredictable.
出世 (chū shì)
to be born
活着 (huó zhe)
to live
The Chinese character 生 (shēng) is composed of two parts: the radical 艸 (cǎo), which means "grass" or "plant", and the phonetic component 生 (shēng), which means "to give birth" or "to grow". The character 生 originally meant "to sprout" or "to grow", and it was later extended to mean "to be born" or "to live".The character 生 is also used in many other Chinese words and phrases. For example, the word 人生 (rénshēng) means "life", the word 生日 (shēngrì) means "birthday", and the word 生活 (shēnghuó) means "life" or "livelihood".The character 生 is a very important character in Chinese, and it is used in a wide variety of contexts. By understanding the etymology of this character, HSK learners can gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese language and culture.
