终生

• Pinyin: zhōng shēng
• Hanzi breakdown: 终 = 纟+ 冬 (final/entire); 生 = life/birth

Meaning

Lifelong; for one's entire life. Spanning from a point until death.

Similar to 终身 but often more literary. 终生难忘 (unforgettable for life), 终生学习 (lifelong learning), 终生伴侣 (lifelong companion). Emphasises the totality of one's remaining life from a given moment.

Examples

1. 这次经历给他留下了终生难忘的深刻印象。 That experience left him with a deep impression he’ll never forget for the rest of his life.
2. 教育不应止于学校，而应成为终生学习的过程。 Education shouldn’t stop at school—it should be a lifelong process of learning.
3. 他将毕生精力奉献给了终生热爱的医学事业。 He devoted his life’s work to the medical field he loved for a lifetime.

Usage Guide

Context: commitments, memories, learning

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 阅读是一项值得终生坚持的习惯。(Reading is a habit worth maintaining for life.)
• 那段战争岁月成为幸存者终生的阴影。(Those years of war became a lifelong shadow for the survivors.)

Don't Say

• 我终生喜欢吃饭 — trivialises the word; 终生 is for significant commitments and profound experiences, not everyday preferences

Origin & History

终 (end/entire) + 生 (life)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal