生存 shēngcún to exist
to exist; to survive
How to remember 生存: 生 life + 存 exist = to exist.
Characters
How it is used
- To survive / subsist - the basic struggle to stay alive - 适者生存 (shìzhě shēngcún) survival of the fittest; 生存能力 ability to survive.
- Contrast 生活 (shēnghuó, to live one's daily life) and 活着 (huózhe, be alive): 生存 stresses bare survival, often against hardship.
- Common in nature, business, and existential contexts.
Example sentences
- 没有水，我们无法生存。 Méiyǒu shuǐ, wǒmen wúfǎ shēngcún.Without water, we cannot exist.
- 汤姆明白生存的代价。 Tāngmǔ míngbái shēngcún de dàijià.Tom understands what it takes to survive.