These characters combine to create two parallel, graphic images: 行尸 (xíng shī) means a “walking corpse,” and 走肉 (zǒu ròu) means “moving flesh.” Put together, the idiom 行尸走肉 hammers home the idea of a being that is purely physical, a body that moves but is devoid of the mind, spirit (神, shén), and consciousness that truly defines a human being.
The concept of 行尸走肉 is deeply rooted in Chinese philosophical thought, which often emphasizes the importance of spirit and purpose over mere physical existence. Both Daoism and Buddhism explore the idea that a life without awareness, intention, or inner peace is a form of living death. This idiom captures that sentiment perfectly. A useful comparison to Western culture is the term “zombie.” However, they are not identical. In the West, a “zombie” is almost exclusively a literal, supernatural monster from horror films that eats brains. While 行尸走肉 is used to translate the title of “The Walking Dead,” its everyday usage is overwhelmingly metaphorical. When a Chinese person calls someone a 行尸走肉, they are not expressing a fear of being eaten. They are making a sharp, philosophical critique about that person's quality of life, their lack of spirit, or their mindless conformity. It's closer to the English expressions “to be dead inside,” “a shell of a person,” or an “automaton,” but with the weight and elegance of a classical idiom.
This chengyu is alive and well in modern China, used to describe a range of situations with a consistently negative connotation.