半死不活 Half-dead
Explanation
形容人或事物缺乏活力，如同将死未死，奄奄一息的状态。
Describes a person or thing lacking vitality, as if dying but not dead, dying.
Origin Story
从前，在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一位年迈的木匠老李。他年轻时技艺高超，制作的木器远近闻名。然而，随着年龄的增长，老李的身体越来越差，他仍然坚持工作，但做出来的东西粗糙不堪，连他自己都看不下去。每天，他都拖着疲惫的身躯来到作坊，拿起工具，却又不知从何下手。他的手颤抖得厉害，连最简单的榫卯结构都无法完成。他的徒弟们都为他担心，劝他休息，但他总是摇头，嘴里念叨着：“我还能干，我还能干……” 然而，他的双眼已失去了往日的光彩，他的身体也日渐消瘦，仿佛随时都会倒下。村里人看到他这副半死不活的样子，都为他惋惜。曾经的巧夺天工，如今只剩下徒劳的挣扎。最终，老李在作坊里安详地离开了人世，留下了一段令人唏嘘的传奇。
Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there lived an old carpenter named Lao Li. In his youth, he was a master craftsman, and his woodwork was famous far and wide. However, as he grew older, Lao Li's body became weaker and weaker. He still insisted on working, but the things he made were crude and shoddy, even he couldn't bear to look at them. Every day, he dragged his weary body to the workshop, picked up his tools, but didn't know where to start. His hands trembled violently, and he couldn't even complete the simplest mortise and tenon structure. His apprentices worried about him and advised him to rest, but he always shook his head and muttered, "I can still work, I can still work..." However, his eyes lost their former luster, his body grew thinner and thinner, and it seemed as if he might fall down at any moment. The villagers saw his half-dead state and pitied him. The once ingenious craftsmanship was now just a futile struggle. Finally, Lao Li passed away peacefully in his workshop, leaving behind a poignant legend.
Usage
多用于形容人或事物缺乏活力，状态萎靡。
Often used to describe a person or thing that lacks vitality and is in a weak state.
Examples
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这家公司最近经营不善，已是半死不活的状态了。
zhè jiā gōngsī zuìjìn jīngyíng bù shàn, yǐ shì bàn sǐ bù huó de zhuàngtài le.
This company has been poorly managed recently and is in a state of near-death.
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他生病后，一直半死不活的，让人担心。
tā shēng bìng hòu, yīzhí bàn sǐ bù huó de, ràng rén dānxīn.
After his illness, he was half-dead and half-alive, causing concern.