活 huó to live / alive / living / work / workmanship syn 生命 shēng mìng life (as the characteristic of living beings) / living being / creature (CL:個|个[ge4],條|条[tiao2]) syn 吃饭 吃飯 chī fàn to have a meal / to eat / to make a living syn 生物 shēng wù organism / living creature / life form / biological / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 设备 設備 shè bèi equipment / facilities / installations / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 客厅 客廳 kè tīng drawing room (room for arriving guests) / living room / CL:間|间[jian1] syn 设施 設施 shè shī facilities / installation syn 宿舍 sù shè dormitory / dorm room / living quarters / hostel / CL:間|间[jian1] 活生生 huó shēng shēng real (people) / living (artist) / while still alive (e.g. skinned alive) syn 饭碗 飯碗 fàn wǎn rice bowl / fig. livelihood / job / way of making a living syn 活命 huó mìng life / to survive / to save a life / to scrape a living syn 生前 shēng qián (of a deceased) during one's life / while living 为生 為生 wéi shēng to make a living syn 跑车 跑車 pǎo chē racing bicycle / racing car / sports car / to drive a vehicle (such as a truck or taxi) for a living / (of a conductor or attendant) to work on a train / (mining) (of a cable-car) to slip away (in an accident) syn 谋生 謀生 móu shēng to seek one's livelihood / to work to support oneself / to earn a living syn 活人 huó rén living person 人世 rén shì the world / this world / the world of the living syn 完善 wán shàn (of systems, facilities etc) comprehensive / well-developed / excellent / to refine / to improve syn 顶楼 頂樓 dǐng lóu top floor / attic / loft / garret / penthouse / (flat) rooftop (often used as an outdoor living area etc) 起居室 qǐ jū shì living room / sitting room syn 跟前 gēn qian (of children, parents etc) at one's side / living with one syn 生路 shēng lù a way to make a living / a way to survive / a way out of a predicament syn 生灵 生靈 shēng líng (literary) the people / living thing / creature syn 东山再起 東山再起 dōng shān zài qǐ lit. to return to office after living as a hermit on Mount Dongshan (idiom) / fig. to make a comeback syn 生活费 生活費 shēng huó fèi cost of living / living expenses / alimony syn 狭隘 狹隘 xiá ài (of a path etc) narrow / (of a living space etc) cramped / (of a way of thinking, a definition etc) narrow / limited syn 居家 jū jiā to live at home / to stay at home / home (schooling etc) / in-home (care etc) / household (repairs etc) / living (environment etc) syn 朴素 樸素 pǔ sù plain and simple / unadorned / simple living / not frivolous syn 火坑 huǒ kēng pit of fire / fig. living hell syn 营房 營房 yíng fáng barracks / living quarters syn 觅食 覓食 mì shí to forage / to hunt for food / to scavenge / fig. to make a living 自食其力 zì shí qí lì lit. to eat off one's own strength (idiom) / fig. to stand on one's own feet / to earn one's own living syn 找钱 找錢 zhǎo qián to give change / to seek funding / (dialect) to make money / to earn a living 杀生 殺生 shā shēng to take the life of a living creature 生人 shēng rén stranger / living person / to give birth / to be born (in a certain time or place) syn 仿生 fǎng shēng to design an artificial system, taking inspiration from a living organism / bionic / biomimetic 活灵活现 活靈活現 huó líng huó xiàn living spirit, living image (idiom) / true to life / vivid and realistic syn 实例 實例 shí lì actual example / living example / illustration / demonstration / (computing) instance 众生 眾生 zhòng shēng all living things syn 营生 營生 yíng shēng to earn a living syn 芸芸众生 芸芸眾生 yún yún zhòng shēng every living being (Buddhism) / the mass of common people 洁身自好 潔身自好 jié shēn zì hào clean-living and honest (idiom) / to avoid immorality / to shun evil influence / to mind one's own business and keep out of trouble / to keep one's hands clean syn 蛰伏 蟄伏 zhé fú hibernation / living in seclusion syn 阳间 陽間 yáng jiān the world of the living syn 大杂院 大雜院 dà zá yuàn compound with many families living together 活佛 huó fó Living Buddha / title of Mongolian Lamas from 17th century syn 做活 zuò huó to work for a living (esp. of woman needleworker) / life of a group of stones in Go 圍棋|围棋[wei2 qi2] 增设 增設 zēng shè to add to existing facilities or services 高洁 高潔 gāo jié noble and clean-living / lofty and unsullied syn 卖唱 賣唱 mài chàng to sing for a living 拾荒 shí huāng to glean / to collect scraps / to eke out a meager living syn 乡绅 鄉紳 xiāng shēn a scholar or government official living in one's village / a village gentleman / squire syn 民不聊生 mín bù liáo shēng The people have no way to make a living (idiom, from Record of the Grand Historian 史記|史记[Shi3 ji4]) / no way of getting by syn 笔耕 筆耕 bǐ gēng to make a living by writing / to write (as an author) syn 兼营 兼營 jiān yíng a second job / supplementary way of making a living 活化石 huó huà shí living fossil 游子 遊子 yóu zǐ person living or traveling far from home syn 淡泊 dàn bó living a simple life syn 生活区 生活區 shēng huó qū living community 侨胞 僑胞 qiáo bāo countryman living abroad syn 朝不保夕 zhāo bù bǎo xī at dawn, not sure of lasting to evening (idiom) / precarious state / imminent crisis / living from hand to mouth syn 生活水平 shēng huó shuǐ píng living standards 生活环境 shēng huó huán jìng living environment 回族 huí zú Hui Islamic ethnic group living across China 打拼 dǎ pīn to work hard / to try to make a living 公共设施 公共設施 gōng gòng shè shī public facilities / infrastructure 生存环境 生存環境 shēng cún huán jìng habitat / living environment 生活馆 生活館 shēng huó guǎn living museum 过活 過活 guò huó to live one's life / to make a living syn 活体 活體 huó tǐ living body / live specimen 归侨 歸僑 guī qiáo Chinese person who returns to China after living as an expatriate 活鱼 活魚 huó yú fresh fish / living fish 上善若水 shàng shàn ruò shuǐ the ideal is to be like water (which benefits all living things and does not struggle against them) (quotation from the "Book of Dao" 道德經|道德经[Dao4 de2 jing1]) 船家 chuán jiā person who lives and makes a living on a boat / boatman / boat dweller syn 生物资源 生物資源 shēng wù zī yuán living resources 北漂 běi piāo to migrate to Beijing or Taipei in search of better job opportunities / migrant worker living and working in Beijing or Taipei without a residence permit 无生命 無生命 wú shēng mìng non-living / inanimate / lifeless 幽明 yōu míng the hidden and the visible / that which can be seen and that which cannot / darkness and light / night and day / wisdom and ignorance / evil and good / the living and the dead / men and ghosts 东夷 東夷 dōng yí Eastern Barbarians, non-Han tribe living to the east of China c 2200 BC 边民 邊民 biān mín people living on the frontiers / inhabitants of a border area 厅 廳 tīng (reception) hall / living room / office / provincial government department syn 隐姓埋名 隱姓埋名 yǐn xìng mái míng to conceal one's identity / living incognito 活物 huó wù living animals 公设 公設 gōng shè (math.) postulate / public facilities (abbr. for 公共設施|公共设施[gong1gong4 she4shi1]) syn 住地 zhù dì living area / residential area syn 混饭 混飯 hùn fàn to work for a living 脑满肠肥 腦滿腸肥 nǎo mǎn cháng féi (idiom) overweight as a result of living a life of privilege syn 船民 chuán mín people who live and make a living on boats syn 活菩萨 活菩薩 huó pú sà a living Buddha / fig. compassionate person / saint syn 卖力气 賣力氣 mài lì qi to make a living doing manual labor / to give sth all one's got 马店 馬店 mǎ diàn inn that also provides facilities for visitors' horses 跑江湖 pǎo jiāng hú to make a living as a traveling performer etc syn 京族 jīng zú Gin or Jing, ethnic minority of China, descendants of ethnic Vietnamese people living mainly in Guangxi / Kinh, the ethnic majority in Vietnam 啃老族 kěn lǎo zú (coll.) adults still living with and depending on their parents 仰人鼻息 yǎng rén bí xī to rely on others for the air one breathes (idiom) / to depend on sb's whim for one's living syn 开口子 開口子 kāi kǒu zi a dike breaks / fig. to provide facilities (for evil deeds) / to open the floodgates syn 餬 hú congee / making a living 异国他乡 異國他鄉 yì guó tā xiāng foreign lands and places (idiom) / living as expatriate 蜜罐 mì guàn honey pot / fig. comfortable living conditions / privileged environment 