终身
zhōngshēn
lifelong, all one’s life
Part of speech · noun / adjective
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 活到老,学到老,终身学习很重要。Keep learning as long as you live; lifelong learning matters.
- 结婚是终身大事,要慎重考虑。Marriage is a lifelong matter and calls for careful thought.
Collocations
终身学习终身大事终身伴侣终身成就
Mnemonic
终 zhōng "end" + 身 shēn "body": to the end of one’s body, i.e. lifelong. The Korean cognate jong-sin (終身) appears in jong-sin-hyeong (a life sentence) and whole-life insurance. Distinguish 终身 (personal matters, 终身大事 = marriage) from 终生 (a career or cause).
Related
终生一生毕生一辈子
Quick check
What does 终身大事 most often refer to?