人生
rénshēng · HSK 3
life
👤 人生 = person 人 + birth/life 生 → a person's life
人 (rén) means person; 生 (shēng) means birth or life. Together they literally read as person-life, meaning one's lifetime or human existence. The pronunciation rénshēng follows directly from the two characters.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.