noun HSK 4
living thing · organism · biology
Meaning
生物 refers to any living organism or creature, from bacteria to plants to animals. It can also refer to the academic subject of biology. The word combines 生 (life, living) and 物 (thing, matter) to literally mean 'living thing.'
Usage
生物 is used in both everyday and scientific contexts. In schools, 生物 or 生物课 refers to biology class. When discussing nature or science, it encompasses all forms of life. The term is neutral and formal enough for academic use but common enough for casual conversation about living things.
Examples
- 01地球上有数百万种生物。.There are millions of species of living things on Earth.
- 02我最喜欢的科目是生物。.My favorite subject is biology.
Characters
Measure words
- 种一种生物
- 个一个生物
Common collocations
- 生物课biology class
- 生物学biology (the science)
- 海洋生物marine life
- 生物多样性biodiversity
Antonyms
Origin
The compound combines 生 (life/living) with 物 (thing/object), creating a straightforward term for living entities that has been used in Chinese since classical times and was adopted into modern scientific vocabulary.