活
huó
Breath and motion still attached: 活
The picture Leave it alone and something inside keeps moving, with breath still attached to it. 活 keeps breath and motion attached; 死 is that same thing stopped and stiff.
Where the picture shows up in 活
-
breath still attached
这条鱼还活着。
zhè tiáo yú hái huó zhe
This fish is still alive.
In the market basin, a fish still flicking its tail
活着 says it is alive right now
-
the length lived
他活到九十岁。
tā huó dào jiǔ shí suì
He lived to ninety.
Photographs along the wall running from a young face to an old one
活到 is followed by how far the life reached
-
keeping others alive
我一个人养活三个孩子。
wǒ yí gè rén yǎng huó sān gè hái zi
I raised three children on my own.
Filling three bowls in turn and picking up your own last
养活 is feeding someone so they stay alive
-
room to move inside
这个办法比较活，可以改。
zhè ge bàn fǎ bǐ jiào huó, kě yǐ gǎi
This method is flexible, it can be changed.
A loosely tied rope that still gives a little when a hand pulls it
Not stiffened, so it is still open to your hands
-
the work in your hands
他每天干很重的活儿。
tā měi tiān gàn hěn zhòng de huór
He does heavy work every day.
In work clothes at a site, lifting heavy material onto one shoulder
活儿 is read huór and means physical work to do
All of it in one picture
活 is one dot still twitching inside. Leave that dot in a fish and the fish is alive; stretch it across ninety years and someone lived to ninety. Feed someone so that dot does not go out and you get 养活, keeping them alive, and leave a little play inside a plan and it is a plan you can still change. Let that motion become the work in your hands and it is 活儿.