Meaning
活 is a fundamental character meaning 'alive' or 'living'. As an adjective, it describes something that is alive, animated, or flexible. As a verb, it means 'to live' or 'to survive'. It can also refer to work or a job, particularly manual labor or tasks.
Usage
Native speakers use 活 frequently in both literal contexts (生活 'life', 活着 'to be alive') and figurative ones (灵活 'flexible', 活泼 'lively'). When referring to 'work' or 'tasks', it's common in phrases like 干活 (to do work) or 活儿 (a job/task). It often appears in compounds rather than standing alone.
Examples
- 01这条鱼还活着。.This fish is still alive.
- 02今天有很多活要干。.There's a lot of work to do today.
Common collocations
- 干活to work, to do manual labor
- 活儿work, job, task
- 活泼lively, vivacious
- 活该serves you right
Antonyms
Origin
The character 活 combines the water radical 氵(water) on the left with 舌 (tongue) on the right. The original meaning related to flowing water, which extended metaphorically to the concept of life and vitality.