adjective HSK 5
Traditional 生動
shēng dòng
vivid · lively · vivacious

Meaning

生动 describes something that is full of life, energy, and realistic detail. It's commonly used to praise descriptions, performances, or presentations that are engaging and lifelike rather than dull or flat.

Usage

Frequently used in educational and literary contexts to describe teaching methods, storytelling, or writing that captures attention effectively. Often appears in the phrase 生动活泼 (shēngdòng huópō) meaning lively and vivacious. Can describe both concrete things like performances and abstract things like explanations.

Examples

  1. 01
    老师用生动的例子解释了这个复杂的概念。
    Lǎoshī yòng shēngdòng de lìzi jiěshì le zhège fùzá de gàiniàn.
    The teacher explained this complex concept using vivid examples.
  2. 02
    这本小说的人物描写非常生动
    Zhè běn xiǎoshuō de rénwù miáoxiě fēicháng shēngdòng.
    The character portrayals in this novel are very vivid.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 生动的描写
    shēngdòng de miáoxiě
    vivid description
  • 生动有趣
    shēngdòng yǒuqù
    lively and interesting
  • 生动活泼
    shēngdòng huópō
    lively and vivacious
  • 讲得很生动
    jiǎng de hěn shēngdòng
    explain/tell very vividly

Antonyms

Origin

Literally combines 生 (life/living) and 动 (movement), suggesting something that has the quality of being alive and moving, hence vivid or lively.

Related