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半死不活

bàn sǐ bù huódictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(idiom) half-dead; barely alive / (idiom) listless
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-53cc4cc11af28ebc. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

半死不活 半死不活 [ban4 si3 bu4 huo2] /(idiom) half-dead; barely alive/(idiom) listless/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 半
    bàn

    half / semi- / incomplete / (after a number) and a half

  • 死
    sǐ

    to die / impassable / uncrossable / inflexible / rigid / extremely / damned

  • 不
    bù

    no; not so / (bound form) not; un-

  • 活
    huó

    to live / alive / living / work / workmanship

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.