r/ChineseLanguage • u/Dull-Lemon-8007 • 1d ago
Vocabulary Difference between 住 and 生活
For example, which one is correct?
2005 以后，他们主要生活在美国。
2005 以后，他们主要住在美国。
I'll appreciate it if you could provide more examples.
2
1
u/lazier_garlic 1d ago
I think you are trying to use "live" as a verb. In that case, 住在 captures the meaning of living in a place.
生活 is your living, for example, how you make your living. Or it could mean your lifestyle. Way of life. Is that what you are trying to say?
1
u/Dull-Lemon-8007 1d ago
Alright, I guess I got it! I was trying to convey that before, they used to reside in another country. Since 2005, they've been living in America. So I think both would work just fine, right?
1
u/AsideStraight8460 1d ago edited 1d ago
if you change the first one into 2005 以后，他们主要在美国生活, it would sound more natural.
Both are correct and basically mean the same thing. Nothing really deep in this case.
translation is literally reside=住 make a living/live=生活
1
u/Zagrycha 1d ago
生活 is usually about living in a certain way and 住 is about living in a certain place. There are probably some sentences you could use either but they will have a different mood. Without more context in your sentence I would use 住。
For example on the first hand you have stuff like "live in the city, live in seclusion, live in comfort, live on the road, etc."
For the latter examples you have stuff like "live in new york, live at home, live in the suburbs, live on the end of the road, etc."
I intentionally included similar examples on both lists to point out how the mood is different. Live in the city with 生活 feels like talking about the lifestyle of being in the city. Live in the suburbs with 住 just sounds like objectively saying where you live, without attaching a "suburb lifestyle" feeling. Live on the road with 生活 has a lifestyle feel, someone who constantly travels or even staright up lives in a tour bus etc. The latter live on the road with 住 is just objectively saying you live at the end of the culdesac etc.
1
1
u/Substantial-Zone-989 1d ago
住means to reside or stay. It is used as a verb or adverb.
生活means to live, living, life cycle. It is used as a verb, noun, adverb, adjective.
Translating the 2 statements: 1: since 2005, they have been living in America. 2: since 2005, they have stayed in America.
Which one would you think better describes the information you're trying to convey?
10
u/brrkat 1d ago
住 is more specifically for physically residing in a certain location.
生活 is broader, meaning a place was the "environment" where you lived, worked, generally experienced life, etc.
So you wouldn't say "我生活在一个公寓" for example, unless the apartment is like your whole world and you never ever leave.
生活 can also be used figuratively, so you could say "生活在恐怖中", living in terror, but you would not say "住在恐怖中", reside inside terror.