<p>Most characters have multiple meanings, some can act as a noun, verb, or adjective.  生 is a character like this</p>
<p>For '生' to specifically mean 'life', it has to join another character to form a compound word like 人生(one's life/ human's life), 生命(life), 生涯(duration of one's life)</p>
<p>Notice: 生 in 此生(this life) is shortened form of 人生</p>
<p>'学生' is a compound word for 'student'</p>
<p>'中学生' literally means '中学(学)生' with the repeated character 学 omitted.</p>
<p>Similarly:</p>
<p>小學生 = 小學學生</p>
<p>大學生 = 大學學生</p>
<p>重考生 = 重考考生</p>
<p><em>重考 (takes the exam again) + 考生 (examinee) = 重考生 (examinee who takes the exam again)</em></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-12T00:21:50.837Z
2021-03-12T00:29:31.747Z
2021-03-12T00:29:31.747Z
Tang Ho
<ol start="0">
<li><p>中學生活 does mean 'secondary school life', 中學生 however must mean 'secondary school student'.</p>
</li>
<li><p>生 is a compound ideogram comprising 屮 (sprout) and 一 (ground). A sprout emerging from the ground therefore symbolises life and growth.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Besides meaning life (as in 生命), living (as in 生活), growth (as in 生長) etc., 生 has a few other noteworthy derived meanings. 生 in 中學生 corresponds to the second row:</p>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="s-table-container">
<table class="s-table">
<thead>
<tr>
<th style="text-align: center;">Definition</th>
<th style="text-align: center;">Example</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><em>n.</em> the living</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">養育<strong>眾生</strong> lit. to feed <em>everyone that is alive</em></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><em>n.</em> the literati, the learned, pupil</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">學生, 生徒 (retained in Japanese), 諸生 (obsolete)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><em>n.</em> nature; fundamental character (now replaced by 性)</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">天性 (天生 in classical Chinese)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><em>adj.</em> raw</td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><strong>生</strong>魚片 lit. <em>raw</em> fish slices</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<ol start="3">
<li>The above is an incomplete list, only there to give you an impression of how diverse in meaning 生 can be. I also found a few remarks online that suggest pupils are like sprouts, as they 'grow' and 'absorb knowledge'; reasonable as they may seem, I however do not know how etymologically sound this justification is, as 生 has a long tradition of being a laudatory title for the literati in general (子 as well, as in 孔子 Confucius, 孟子 Mencius; surely one cannot interpret it as 'son'). But if this is good for memorisation, then by all means!</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-12T02:54:10.777Z
2021-03-12T02:54:10.777Z
L Parker
<p>As 生 means life I thought 中学生 = secondary study life.</p>
<p>But actual meaning of 中学生  is Secondary School Student.  xuésheng is student, so I remember it as student.</p>
<p>Why it is student rather study life?</p>

<grammar><meaning><meaning-in-context>
中学生 why not secondary student life?
# 中学生 why not secondary student life?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-03-12)

As 生 means life I thought 中学生 = secondary study life.

But actual meaning of 中学生 is Secondary School Student. xuésheng is student, so I remember it as student.

Why it is student rather study life?

**Tags:** grammar, meaning, meaning-in-context


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-03-12. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

0. 中學生活 does mean 'secondary school life', 中學生 however must mean 'secondary school student'.
1. 生 is a compound ideogram comprising 屮 (sprout) and 一 (ground). A sprout emerging from the ground therefore symbolises life and growth.
2. Besides meaning life (as in 生命), living (as in 生活), growth (as in 生長) etc., 生 has a few other noteworthy derived meanings. 生 in 中學生 corresponds to the second row:

| Definition | Example |
| --- | --- |
| *n.* the living | 養育**眾生** lit. to feed *everyone that is alive* |
| *n.* the literati, the learned, pupil | 學生, 生徒 (retained in Japanese), 諸生 (obsolete) |
| *n.* nature; fundamental character (now replaced by 性) | 天性 (天生 in classical Chinese) |
| *adj.* raw | **生**魚片 lit. *raw* fish slices |

3. The above is an incomplete list, only there to give you an impression of how diverse in meaning 生 can be. I also found a few remarks online that suggest pupils are like sprouts, as they 'grow' and 'absorb knowledge'; reasonable as they may seem, I however do not know how etymologically sound this justification is, as 生 has a long tradition of being a laudatory title for the literati in general (子 as well, as in 孔子 Confucius, 孟子 Mencius; surely one cannot interpret it as 'son'). But if this is good for memorisation, then by all means!


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### Answer by username_1 on 2021-03-12. Score: 2

Most characters have multiple meanings, some can act as a noun, verb, or adjective. 生 is a character like this

For '生' to specifically mean 'life', it has to join another character to form a compound word like 人生(one's life/ human's life), 生命(life), 生涯(duration of one's life)

Notice: 生 in 此生(this life) is shortened form of 人生

'学生' is a compound word for 'student'

'中学生' literally means '中学(学)生' with the repeated character 学 omitted.

Similarly:

小學生 = 小學學生

大學生 = 大學學生

重考生 = 重考考生

*重考 (takes the exam again) + 考生 (examinee) = 重考生 (examinee who takes the exam again)*


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