Correct

死不死,活不活

/ sǐ bù sǐ huó bù huó /
Strokes
https://i.cchatty2.com/filters:format(webp)/fit-in/684x0/img/202102/死不死活不活-Chinese-idioms-Cchatty-ce3e0894-d1e7-4b5e-b6a7-40cd042ef677-1612777547.jpg

Collocation

1
搞得死不死,活不活的
2
死不死,活不活的样子
3
老是死不死,活不活的
4
别死不死,活不活的
5
一直死不死,活不活的
6
死不死,活不活

Definition

死不死,活不活

Literally means:

dead never die, live not live

Actually means:

It literally refers to the state between life and death. It figuratively means listlessness. It also describes the hardship of life or conditions. Derogatory.

说死没有死,说活又不像活的样子。形容人或事物没有生气。也形容人或事物处境艰难,生存状态不正常。具有贬义色彩。

Example

Used as predicate, attributive or complement. (作谓语、定语、补语)
1
Hǎohǎo
好好
de
企业
  
,
dào
liǎo
men
他们
shǒu
手里
nián
hái
dào
  
,
jiù
biàn
de
  
,
huó
huó
de
  
,
zhēn
jiào
rén
tòngxīn
痛心
  
.

A good enterprise, to their hands less than a year, it becomes dead, not alive, really sad.

2
yīnggāi
应该
zhènzuò
振作
lai
起来
  
,
biè
lǎoshi
老是
  
,
huó
huó
de
  
,
ràng
rén
kàn
le
nánshòu
难受
  

You should cheer up, don't always die, live, make people look uncomfortable.

3
Zhè
这里
shòudào
受到
yánzhòng
严重
rǎn
污染
  
,
guǎn
不管
zhǒng
shénme
什么
dōng
东西
  
,
cháng
chūlái
出来
de
quán
shì
  
,
huó
huó
de
yàngzi
样子
  

It's heavily polluted here, no matter what's planted in the ground, it's all dead or alive.