To arrange (flowers); to plant — to place living plants or flowers attractively (as in ikebana). Often written 活ける.
母は毎週生ける花を変えて、部屋を明るくしている。
My mother changes the flowers she arranges every week and brightens the room.
茶室の床の間に一輪の花を活ける。
I place a single flower in the tokonoma of the tea room.
彼は生け花を習っていて、花を美しく生けるのが上手だ。
He studies ikebana and is skilled at arranging flowers beautifully.
Used prenominally to mean 'living' (as in 生ける屍 — a living corpse). This usage is somewhat literary or archaic.
彼はまるで生ける屍のように歩いていた。
He was walking like a living corpse.
村の人々は彼を生ける神として崇めていた。
The villagers worshipped him as a living god.