性命

xìng mìng

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Noun Common

Definitions

1 item

to die

2 items

fate; destiny

to exist

Often used in fixed expressions like 性命攸关 (a matter of life and death) or 丢了性命 (lost one's life).

More literary than 生命; commonly used in dramatic or serious contexts.

1 shown

他为了救孩子，差点儿丢了性命。

He almost lost his life trying to save the child.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

vitally important

if one is too calculating, it will be the cause of one's own undoing (famous line in \A Dream of Red Mansions\ 紅樓夢|红楼梦[hóng lóu mèng])

characteristic

life