寿命

• Pinyin: shòu mìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 寿 = complex character depicting a long-lived elder with a walking stick (longevity); 命 = 口 + 令 (mouth + command — one's allotted life and fate)

Meaning

Lifespan; life expectancy; service life (of equipment or systems).

Used for both biological lifespan (人均寿命 — average life expectancy) and the operational lifespan of objects, systems, or institutions (设备寿命 — equipment service life; 建筑寿命 — building lifespan). Distinct from 生命 (life — the state of being alive) and 年龄 (age — elapsed time since birth). Key compounds: 平均寿命 (average lifespan); 预期寿命 (life expectancy); 使用寿命 (useful service life).

Examples

1. 坚持运动、均衡饮食和充足睡眠的人，平均寿命更长，晚年认知退化也更慢。 People who keep exercising, eat a balanced diet, and sleep enough tend to live longer on average, and cognitive decline in old age is also slower.
2. 这批设备在极端气候下运行，其寿命远低于设计值，材料选型和维护周期都是原因。 These devices run in extreme climates, so their lifespan is far below the design target, and material selection plus maintenance intervals are both reasons.
3. 核电站从一开始就要规划运营、维护和退役，因为设施寿命终结后的去核化成本极高。 A nuclear power plant must plan operations, maintenance, and decommissioning from the start, because decommissioning costs after the facility's lifespan ends are extremely high.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, demographics, engineering, environment, policy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 医疗和公共卫生不断进步，全球平均预期寿命过去百年增了三十多年，但也带来养老压力。(Medical care and public health keep advancing, and global average life expectancy has risen by more than thirty years over the past century, but that also brings pension pressure.)
• 航空发动机的设计寿命看循环次数，不看年限，因为每次起降累积的热疲劳更能预测剩余寿命。(An aircraft engine's design life is measured by cycles, not years, because the thermal fatigue accumulated in each takeoff and landing better predicts remaining service life.)

Don't Say

• 寿命 to mean someone's current age — use 年龄 (age) or 岁数 (age in years); 寿命 refers to the total duration of life or service, not the age at any given point; also avoid 寿命 for short-lived ephemeral items where 时限 (time limit) or 有效期 (validity period) is more precise

Origin & History

寿 (longevity; long life — an old character depicting a long-lived elder) + 命 (life; fate — 口 mouth + 令 command, suggesting one's allotted destiny)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal