生 simplified
生 traditional · same
shēng
life · to be born · raw · unfamiliar · student
部首 bùshǒu · 生 shēng life 5 笔画 bǐhuà strokes HSK 1 tone 1 · shēng
笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

生 shēng is one of the oldest and most transparent characters in the writing system. The oracle-bone form shows a plant 屮 pushing upward through the ground 土 — a sprout emerging from the earth. Life, in its most primal pictographic form: the moment of emergence.

This single image radiates into four distinct semantic clusters that are all still active in modern Chinese: (1) life and living (生命, 生活, 生存); (2) birth and coming into being (出生, 诞生, 产生); (3) raw and unprocessed (生的, 生疏, 陌生 — things not yet cooked or cultivated); (4) student or junior person (学生, 先生 — one who is still "green," still growing).

生 is also a productive radical: 性 (nature; gender), 星 (star), 姓 (surname), 胜 (victory), 剩 (leftover) all contain elements of 生's root meaning. Once you see the sprout, you see it everywhere.

生命 shēngmìng Life — the Core Vocabulary
生命 · 生活 · 生存 — Three Registers of "Life" 生命 shēngmìng = life as biological existence, the life-force itself (philosophical, medical)
生活 shēnghuó = life as daily lived experience — "lifestyle," "livelihood"
生存 shēngcún = survival — existence under pressure; the will to persist
生命 shēngmìng life; the life-force
N 名词 míngcí
生 shēng (life) + 命 mìng (fate; life-span; command). The weight of one's entire existence. More philosophical and solemn than 生活. 生命是宝贵的 "Life is precious." Also appears in science: 生命科学 life sciences.
生命只有一次，要好好珍惜。
Shēngmìng zhǐ yǒu yī cì, yào hǎohǎo zhēnxī.
Life only comes once — treasure it well.
生活 shēnghuó life; to live; livelihood; lifestyle
V/N 动名词
生 shēng (live) + 活 huó (alive; to live). The most common word for everyday lived life. Works as noun (我的生活 "my life/lifestyle") and verb (我们在北京生活 "we live in Beijing"). 生活质量 quality of life · 生活方式 way of life.
我很喜欢这里的生活。
Wǒ hěn xǐhuān zhèlǐ de shēnghuó.
I really enjoy life here.
他们在农村生活了十年。
Tāmen zài nóngcūn shēnghuó le shí nián.
They lived in the countryside for ten years.
生存 shēngcún to survive; to subsist
V 动词 dòngcí
生 shēng + 存 cún (to exist; to preserve). Survival — continuing to exist under difficult conditions. 生存竞争 "survival competition" · 生存危机 "survival crisis." A more pressured, primal register than 生活.
在沙漠中生存需要很多技能。
Zài shāmò zhōng shēngcún xūyào hěn duō jìnéng.
Surviving in the desert requires many skills.
出生 chūshēng Birth & Coming into Being
出生 chūshēng to be born; birth
V 动词 dòngcí
出 chū (to exit; to come out) + 生 shēng (life; birth). The emergence from the womb. Used for birthdays (出生日期 date of birth) and biographical facts (他出生在北京 "he was born in Beijing").
她出生在1990年。
Tā chūshēng zài yījiǔjiǔlíng nián.
She was born in 1990.
产生 chǎnshēng to produce; to give rise to; to emerge
V 动词 dòngcí
产 chǎn (to produce; output) + 生 shēng (arise). For abstract and concrete creation — ideas, problems, emotions, consequences arising. 产生影响 "to have an effect" · 产生误会 "to give rise to a misunderstanding."
这个决定产生了很大的影响。
Zhège juédìng chǎnshēng le hěn dà de yǐngxiǎng.
This decision produced a large impact.
学生 xuésheng Student & the "Green" Learner
学生 xuésheng student
N 名词 míngcí
学 xué (to study; to learn) + 生 shēng (one who is still "green"; a junior person). The student as someone still growing, not yet ripe. One of the most common nouns in Chinese — every school context relies on it.
我是大学生。
Wǒ shì dàxuéshēng.
I am a university student.
先生 xiānsheng Mr.; teacher; husband; gentleman
N 名词 míngcí
先 xiān (first; ahead; earlier) + 生 shēng (one born; person). "One born earlier" — originally a teacher or Confucian master; now the standard polite term for "Mr." and also "husband" in formal contexts (我先生 "my husband"). A word whose meaning has drifted beautifully from teacher → gentleman → Mr.
王先生，请进。
Wáng xiānsheng, qǐng jìn.
Mr. Wang, please come in.
我先生在银行工作。
Wǒ xiānsheng zài yínháng gōngzuò.
My husband works at a bank.
医生 yīshēng doctor; physician
N 名词 míngcí
医 yī (medicine; to heal) + 生 shēng (practitioner). The standard word for doctor in mainland China. Note the 生 suffix — it originally meant "one who practices/studies" (compare 学生, 先生). 看医生 = "to see a doctor."
你应该去看医生。
Nǐ yīnggāi qù kàn yīshēng.
You should go see a doctor.
生的 shēng de Raw, Unprocessed & Unfamiliar
生 shēng raw; uncooked; unripe; unfamiliar
Adj 形容词 xíngróngcí
Used standalone or as a prefix: 生鱼片 raw fish (sashimi) · 生肉 raw meat · 生米 uncooked rice. The "not yet transformed" meaning extends to people and situations: 生人 stranger · 生词 new vocabulary word (one you haven't "cooked" yet into your knowledge).
这肉还是生的，要再煮一会儿。
Zhè ròu háishi shēng de, yào zài zhǔ yīhuìr.
This meat is still raw — cook it a little longer.
陌生 mòshēng unfamiliar; strange; unknown
Adj 形容词 xíngróngcí
陌 mò (a stranger; a path between rice fields — where you encounter people you don't know) + 生 shēng (unprocessed; unfamiliar). For unfamiliar places, strangers, and new experiences. 陌生人 = stranger. 对我来说很陌生 = "It's unfamiliar to me."
到了新城市，一切都感到陌生。
Dào le xīn chéngshì, yīqiè dōu gǎndào mòshēng.
Arriving in a new city, everything felt unfamiliar.
成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases
生死与共 shēng sǐ yǔ gòng to share life and death together — a bond through the deepest adversity Lit: life-death-with-together. Used for close comrades, soldiers, and couples who have endured extreme hardship. The deepest statement of loyalty.
起死回生 qǐ sǐ huí shēng to bring back from the dead — to revive a desperate situation Lit: raise-dead-return-life. Originally medical (miraculous cures); now used for companies, projects, and relationships revived against all odds.
生生不息 shēngshēng bùxī life generating life without ceasing — the endless renewal of existence A Daoist cosmological phrase: life perpetually generating more life. Used in nature writing, philosophical prose, and speeches about cultural continuity.
民以食为天 mín yǐ shí wéi tiān the people regard food as Heaven — sustenance is the foundation of everything Classical proverb (often attributed to 汉书). The reminder that biological life 生 comes before politics, philosophy, or art. Used to ground grand arguments in material reality.
相邻词汇 xiānglín cíhuì Adjacent Vocabulary
死sǐdeath; to die 活huóto be alive 命mìngfate; life-span 诞生dànshēngto be born (grand things) 成长chéngzhǎngto grow up 生词shēngcínew vocabulary word 卫生wèishēnghygiene; health 人生rénshēngone's life journey
记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

Visualize a green sprout pushing up through dark soil — that is 生, and that image unlocks everything. Life is the sprout (生命). Daily life is the plant growing day by day (生活). Raw food is the plant not yet cooked (生肉). A student is a tender green shoot not yet mature (学生). A stranger is a plant you've never seen before in your garden (陌生人). Everything 生 means is one stage or another of that first emergence from the earth.