过 guò — (experienced action marker); to cross; to go over; to pass (time); to celebrate (a holiday); to live
我去过北京两次。Wǒ qù guò Běi jīng liǎng cì.I have been to Beijing twice.
Common words: 不过 (bù guò)、通过 (tōng guò)、过去 (guò qù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to live"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to live", including 过 (guò), 处 (chǔ / chù), 活 (huó), 住 (zhù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to live" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 过 (guò), 处 (chǔ / chù), 活 (huó), 住 (zhù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span guò, chǔ, chù, huó, zhù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 过 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 过 guò(experienced action marker); to cross; to go over; to pass (time); to celebrate (a holiday); to liveUseful words: 不过, 通过
- 处 chǔ / chùto reside; to live; to dwell; to be in; to stay; get along withUseful words: 到处, 好处
- 活 huóto live; alive; living; work; workmanshipUseful words: 生活, 活动
- 住 zhùto live; to dwell; to reside; to stopUseful words: 记住, 住院
Common words for these 4 "to live" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 过 (guò) — so "to live" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
不过bù guòonly; merely; no more than; but通过tōng guòto pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation)过去guò qù(in the) past; former; previous; to go over到处dào chùeverywhere好处hǎo chǔeasy to get along with坏处huài chuharm; troubles生活shēng huóto live; life; livelihood活动huó dòngto exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky干活儿gàn huó rcolloquial (-r) form of 干活记住jì zhuto remember; to bear in mind; to learn by heart
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "to live".
处 chǔ / chù — to reside; to live; to dwell; to be in; to stay; get along with
这件事很难处理。Zhè jiàn shì hěn nán chǔ lǐ.This matter is hard to handle.
Common words: 到处 (dào chù)、好处 (hǎo chǔ)、坏处 (huài chu)
活 huó — to live; alive; living; work; workmanship
大家的生活越来越好。Dà jiā de shēng huó yuè lái yuè hǎo.Everyone's life is getting better and better.
Common words: 生活 (shēng huó)、活动 (huó dòng)、干活儿 (gàn huó r)
住 zhù — to live; to dwell; to reside; to stop
我住在学校附近。Wǒ zhù zài xué xiào fù jìn.I live near the school.
Common words: 记住 (jì zhu)、住院 (zhù yuàn)、住房 (zhù fáng)
All 4 characters
Open 过、处、活 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.