激活 jīhuó to activate
How to remember 激活: 激 excite + 活 alive = to activate.
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How it is used
- To activate/bring to life - 激活账户 (jīhuó zhànghù) to activate an account; also figurative: 激活市场 to reinvigorate a market.
- Very common in tech (software activation) and biology (激活细胞, activate a cell).
- Contrast 启动 (qǐdòng, to start up/launch); 激活 implies switching something from dormant to functioning.