How common it is
生物 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
Pronunciation focus
Say shēng wù slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“生物”指所有有生命的东西，包括动物、植物和微生物。
“Shēng wù” zhǐ suǒyǒu yǒu shēngmìng de dōngxi, bāokuò dòngwù, zhíwù hé wēishēngwù.
"Biology, living organism" refers to all living things, including animals, plants, and microorganisms.
Context note
在学校里，我们上生物课学习各种生物，比如小猫、大树和细菌。
Zài xuéxiào lǐ, wǒmen shàng shēngwù kè xuéxí gè zhǒng shēngwù, bǐrú xiǎo māo, dà shù hé xìjūn.
At school, we take biology class to learn about various living organisms, like kittens, big trees, and bacteria.
5 examples
生物都需要水和空气才能生存。
shēng wù dōu xū yào shuǐ hé kōng qì cái néng shēng cún。
All living organisms need water and air to survive.
花园里有很多生物，比如蝴蝶和蜜蜂。
huā yuán lǐ yǒu hěn duō shēng wù， bǐ rú hú dié hé mì fēng。
There are many living organisms in the garden, like butterflies and bees.
生物课上，老师让我们观察蚂蚁。
shēng wù kè shàng， lǎo shī ràng wǒ men guān chá mǎ yǐ。
In biology class, the teacher asked us to observe ants.
海洋里有很多奇妙的生物。
hǎi yáng lǐ yǒu hěn duō qí miào de shēng wù。
There are many wonderful living organisms in the ocean.
植物是生物，它们会慢慢长大。
zhí wù shì shēng wù， tā men huì màn màn zhǎng dà。
Plants are living organisms, they grow slowly.
5 mini stories
小明在公园里发现了一只小蜗牛。他想起生物课上学过，蜗牛是生物。
xiǎo míng zài gōng yuán lǐ fā xiàn le yì zhī xiǎo wō niú。 tā xiǎng qǐ shēng wù kè shàng xué guò， wō niú shì shēng wù。
Xiaoming found a little snail in the park. He remembered from biology class that snails are living organisms.
生物课上，老师带大家去观察池塘里的生物。大家看到了小鱼和水草。
shēng wù kè shàng， lǎo shī dài dà jiā qù guān chá chí táng lǐ de shēng wù。 dà jiā kàn dào le xiǎo yú hé shuǐ cǎo。
In biology class, the teacher took everyone to observe the living organisms in the pond. Everyone saw little fish and water plants.
小红的家里养了一盆花，她每天浇水。她知道花是生物，需要照顾。
xiǎo hóng de jiā lǐ yǎng le yì pén huā， tā měi tiān jiāo shuǐ。 tā zhī dào huā shì shēng wù， xū yào zhào gù。
Xiaohong has a potted flower at home, she waters it every day. She knows flowers are living organisms and need care.
下雨后，草地上出现了很多小蘑菇。它们是生物，长得真快。
xià yǔ hòu， cǎo dì shàng chū xiàn le hěn duō xiǎo mó gu。 tā men shì shēng wù， cháng dé zhēn kuài。
After the rain, many little mushrooms appeared on the grass. They are living organisms and grow very fast.
生物学家研究各种生物，帮助保护大自然。小明长大后也想当生物学家。
shēng wù xué jiā yán jiū gè zhǒng shēng wù， bāng zhù bǎo hù dà zì rán。 xiǎo míng zhǎng dà hòu yě xiǎng dāng shēng wù xué jiā。
Biologists study various living organisms to help protect nature. Xiaoming wants to be a biologist when he grows up.