终身

zhōng shēn

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 6 Noun Uncommon

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Definitions

1. lifelong
2. all one's life
3. marriage

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Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

• 一辈子 yī bèi zi 一辈子 yī bèi zi (for) a lifetime 更口语化: (for) a lifetime

Synonyms

1 item

• 终生 zhōng shēng 终生 zhōng shēng throughout one's life 强调整个生命，常用于书面: throughout one's life

Usage notes

Collocations

“终身”常与“大事”、“监禁”、“学习”等搭配，表示涉及整个人生的重要事务或持续性状态。

Common mistakes

“终身”多用于抽象或庄重语境（如婚姻、监禁），不宜随意替换口语化的“一辈子”。

Example Sentences

1 shown

学习是一种 终身 的过程。

Learning is a lifelong process.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 终身

• 一日为师，终身为父 一日为师，终身为父 yī rì wéi shī , zhōng shēn wéi fù: lit. teacher for one day, father for ever (idiom)
• 情定终身 情定终身 qíng dìng zhōng shēn: to pledge eternal love (idiom)
• 私定终身 私定终身 sī dìng zhōng shēn: to make a pledge to be married, without parents' approval
• 终身俸 终身俸 zhōng shēn fèng: pension
• 终身制 终身制 zhōng shēn zhì: life tenure
• 终身大事 终身大事 zhōng shēn dà shì: major turning point of lifelong import (esp. marriage)
• 终身监禁 终身监禁 zhōng shēn jiān jìn: life sentence

Child Words of 终身

• 终 终 zhōng: end
• 身 身 shēn: body