活huó

es the water radical 氵 with the component 舌 (tongue), a combination that originally signified “to live” because the tongue tastes water, a sign of life. The visual image of water beside a tongue suggests the ability to taste and therefore to survive, and the character has retained this evocative form through centuries. Today 活 appears in 生活 (life) and 活动 (activity), where it conveys vitality and motion. --- Modern simp