kau4 sang1求生
Jyutpingkau4 sang1
Yalekàuh sāng
Definition
To strive for survival; to keep oneself alive in a harsh environment.
neutraldaily actionsother
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the active effort or instinct to stay alive under extreme pressure or danger. It is often used in contexts involving wilderness survival, disaster scenarios, or metaphorical situations where someone is struggling to maintain their livelihood or status. Unlike the more general word 生存, which describes the state of being alive, 求生 highlights the struggle or the process of fighting for that state.
Examples
How do they survive on the deserted island?
Facing this predicament, one must learn how to survive.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 生存, which is a state of existence. You can say 佢哋好努力生存, meaning they are working hard to live, but 求生 implies a more urgent, active, or desperate attempt to avoid death.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
