生命 (shēngmìng) — Life in Mandarin
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#649 most common word · HSK 4 · CEFR B1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
生命 is pronounced shēngmìng. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
shēngmìng hěn zhēnguì.
Life is very precious.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 生命 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 生命 mean?+
生命 (shēngmìng) means "Life" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 生命?+
生命 is pronounced shēngmìng. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 生命 in Mandarin?+
生命 is the #649 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 生命 fits
Every HSK 4 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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