🍼 Chinese Life Stages Vocabulary 人生阶段
40 essential Mandarin Chinese words for the Life Stages scene, each with pinyin, English meaning, HSK level and native speaker audio, plus example sentences. Tap 🔊 to listen.
- 一生 yì shēng HSK 2all one's life; a lifetime他一生都在教书。tā yì shēng dōu zài jiāo shūHe spent his whole life teaching.
- 小时候 xiǎo shí hou HSK 2in one's childhood我小时候住在这里。wǒ xiǎo shí hou zhù zài zhè lǐI lived here when I was a child.
- 童年 tóng nián HSK 4childhood我的童年是在乡下度过的。wǒ de tóng nián shì zài xiāng xià dù guò deI spent my childhood in the countryside.
- 终身 zhōng shēn HSK 5lifelong; all one's life学习是一件终身的事情。xué xí shì yí jiàn zhōng shēn de shì qingLearning is a lifelong endeavor.
- 年龄 nián líng HSK 5age他的年龄和我差不多。tā de nián líng hé wǒ chà bu duōHis age is about the same as mine.
- 一辈子 yí bèi zi HSK 5(for) a lifetime; all one's life我这一辈子都忘不了她。wǒ zhè yí bèi zi dōu wàng bù liǎo tāI'll never forget her my whole life.
- 岁数 suì shu HSK 6age (in years)您这么大岁数了还坚持锻炼。nín zhè me dà suì shu le hái jiān chí duàn liànAt such an advanced age you still keep exercising.
- 生活 shēng huó HSK 2life; daily life这里的生活很方便。zhè lǐ de shēng huó hěn fāng biànLife here is very convenient.
- 生 shēng HSK 2to give birth; to grow; raw她生了一个女孩。tā shēng le yí gè nǚ háiShe gave birth to a girl.
- 经历 jīng lì HSK 3experience; to go through我经历过很多困难。wǒ jīng lì guo hěn duō kùn nanI have gone through many hardships.
- 成长 chéng zhǎng HSK 3to grow up; to mature; growth孩子在爱中健康地成长。hái zi zài ài zhōng jiàn kāng de chéng zhǎngThe child grows up healthily in love.
- 生存 shēng cún HSK 3to survive; to exist; survival没有水，人无法生存。méi yǒu shuǐ rén wú fǎ shēng cúnWithout water, humans cannot survive.
- 体验 tǐ yàn HSK 3to experience (firsthand); experience我想去乡下体验农村生活。wǒ xiǎng qù xiāng xià tǐ yàn nóng cūn shēng huóI want to go to the countryside to experience rural life.
- 活 huó HSK 3to live; alive; living这条鱼还活着呢。zhè tiáo yú hái huó zhe neThis fish is still alive.
- 墓 mù HSK 6grave; tomb每年清明我们都去扫墓。měi nián qīng míng wǒ men dōu qù sǎo mùEvery Qingming we go to sweep the graves.
- 长大 zhǎng dà HSK 2to grow up我在北京长大。wǒ zài běi jīng zhǎng dàI grew up in Beijing.
- 出生 chū shēng HSK 2to be born我出生在一个小城市。wǒ chū shēng zài yí gè xiǎo chéng shìI was born in a small city.
- 青年 qīng nián HSK 2youth; young person他是一个有理想的青年。tā shì yí ge yǒu lǐ xiǎng de qīng niánHe is a young man with ideals.
- 少年 shào nián HSK 2youngster; teenager; early youth他还是个十岁的少年。tā hái shì ge shí suì de shào niánHe is still a ten-year-old youngster.
- 青少年 qīng shào nián HSK 2teenager; youth; adolescent很多青少年喜欢玩游戏。hěn duō qīng shào nián xǐ huan wán yóu xìMany teenagers like to play games.
- 中年 zhōng nián HSK 2middle age他是一位中年男人。tā shì yí wèi zhōng nián nán rénHe is a middle-aged man.
- 老年 lǎo nián HSK 2old age; the elderly老年人应该多运动。lǎo nián rén yīng gāi duō yùn dòngElderly people should exercise more.
- 年纪 nián jì HSK 3age (of a person)您这么大年纪还这么健康。nín zhè me dà nián jì hái zhè me jiàn kāngYou're still so healthy at such an age.
- 去世 qù shì HSK 3to pass away; to die他的爷爷去年去世了。tā de yé ye qù nián qù shì leHis grandfather passed away last year.
- 成人 chéng rén HSK 4adult (of legal age; formal: adult ticket/content)这部电影只适合成人观看。zhè bù diàn yǐng zhǐ shì hé chéng rén guān kànThis movie is only suitable for adults to watch.
- 辈 bèi HSK 5generation; lifetime; (classifier) generation我们两家是好几辈的朋友。wǒ men liǎng jiā shì hǎo jǐ bèi de péng youOur two families have been friends for several generations.
- 诞生 dàn shēng HSK 6to be born; to come into being一个新的国家诞生了。yí ge xīn de guó jiā dàn shēng leA new nation was born.
- 养老 yǎng lǎo HSK 6to provide for the elderly; to live in retirement子女有养老的责任和义务。zǐ nǚ yǒu yǎng lǎo de zé rèn hé yì wùChildren have the responsibility and duty to support their elderly parents.
- 一代 yī dài HSK 6generation他们是白手起家的一代。tā men shì bái shǒu qǐ jiā de yí dàiThey are a generation that started from scratch.
- 死 sǐ HSK 3to die; dead; extremely; rigid我的那盆花死了。wǒ de nà pén huā sǐ leThat pot of flowers of mine died.
- 生命 shēng mìng HSK 3life; living being医生救了他的生命。yī shēng jiù le tā de shēng mìngThe doctor saved his life.
- 自杀 zì shā HSK 5to commit suicide; suicide医生努力阻止他自杀。yī shēng nǔ lì zǔ zhǐ tā zì shāThe doctor tried hard to stop him from committing suicide.
- 死亡 sǐ wáng HSK 6to die; death这场事故造成了三人死亡。zhè chǎng shì gù zào chéng le sān rén sǐ wángThis accident caused the death of three people.
- 命 mìng HSK 6life; fate; order; command医生救了他一条命。yī shēng jiù le tā yì tiáo mìngThe doctor saved his life.
- 老 lǎo HSK 1old (aged); experienced我的爷爷很老了wǒ de yé ye hěn lǎo leMy grandfather is very old.
- 年轻 nián qīng HSK 2young她看起来很年轻。tā kàn qǐ lái hěn nián qīngShe looks very young.
- 人生 rén shēng HSK 3life (one's lifetime)这次经历改变了我的人生。zhè cì jīng lì gǎi biàn le wǒ de rén shēngThis experience changed my life.
- 成熟 chéng shú HSK 3mature; ripe; to ripen他比以前成熟多了。tā bǐ yǐ qián chéng shú duō leHe's much more mature than before.
- 青春 qīng chūn HSK 4youth; youthfulness青春是一段美好的时光。qīng chūn shì yí duàn měi hǎo de shí guāngYouth is a wonderful time.
- 长寿 cháng shòu HSK 5long-lived; longevity这个村子的老人都很长寿。zhè ge cūn zi de lǎo rén dōu hěn cháng shòuThe elderly in this village are all very long-lived.
FAQ
How many Chinese life stages words are in this list?
40 words, including HSK 1: 1, HSK 2: 12, HSK 3: 11, HSK 4: 3, HSK 5: 6, HSK 6: 7. Every word has playable native audio and example sentences.
Are these words useful for the HSK?
Yes — every word is tagged with its HSK level (HSK 1–6 or 7+), so you can prioritise words for your target level.
What is the best way to memorise them?
Learn them as a scene group with spaced repetition: listen and repeat, study the example sentence, review the next day. The companion app has built-in SRS and four quiz types.