méi yǒu shuǐ, jiù méi yǒu shēngmìng.

In Mandarin, 没(有) is normally used to mean there is not / do not have and to negate past or completed actions.

Here, 没有水 means there is no water, so 没(有) is the natural choice.

• 没有水 = there is no water
• 不有水 = not natural in modern Mandarin

So for existence or possession, use 没有, not 不有.

没有 here means there is no or without.

So:

• 没有水 = there is no water / without water
• 没有生命 = there is no life

In this sentence, 有 keeps its basic meaning of to have / there is, and 没 negates it.

就 often shows a direct result, consequence, or strong connection between two parts of a sentence.

In 没有水，就没有生命, it links the condition and the result:

• 没有水 = if there is no water
• 就没有生命 = then there is no life

So 就 is functioning a lot like then, in that case, or as a result.

A natural way to understand the structure is:

• 没有 A，就没有 B = Without A, there is no B / If there is no A, then there is no B

Yes, you can think of it that way.

Mandarin often leaves out 如果 (if) when the meaning is already clear. So this sentence can be understood as:

• 如果没有水，就没有生命。

This would mean the same thing: If there is no water, then there is no life.

In everyday and formal Chinese, dropping 如果 is very common when the conditional relationship is obvious.

The comma separates the condition from the result.

• 没有水， = without water / if there is no water
• 就没有生命。 = then there is no life

This kind of comma is very common in Chinese, especially when the first part sets up a condition, topic, or background.

You may also see this sentence written without much emphasis in speech, but in writing the comma makes the structure clearer.

Sometimes in casual speech, Chinese can sound shortened, but in this sentence 没有水，就没有生命 is the standard and most natural form.

• 没有水 sounds complete and correct.
• 没水 can appear in speech, but it is more colloquial and less careful.
• 没生命 is less natural than 没有生命 in this kind of sentence.

So for learners, it is best to use the full form:

• 没有水，就没有生命。

The basic pattern is:

• 没有 A，就没有 B

This means:

• Without A, there is no B
• If there is no A, then there is no B

In your sentence:

• A = 水 (water)
• B = 生命 (life)

So it is a very useful pattern you can reuse:

• 没有空气，就没有人类。
  Without air, there is no humanity.
• 没有阳光，就没有植物。
  Without sunlight, there are no plants.

Mandarin does not use articles like a, an, or the the way English does.

So 水 simply means water, and the exact English translation depends on context:

• 没有水 can mean there is no water
• or without water

Chinese often leaves this kind of thing unstated because the noun is understood in a general sense.

Here, 生命 means life in a general, abstract sense.

So 没有生命 means there is no life, not there is no one life or no living creature specifically.

A few related words:

• 生命 = life, living existence
• 生活 = life in the sense of daily life or living
• 生物 = living thing / organism

So in this sentence, 生命 is the right word because the idea is about the existence of life itself.

In this sentence, 没 is pronounced méi because it is part of 没有.

So you say:

• méi yǒu

This is the normal pronunciation for 没 meaning not have / did not.

Learners sometimes notice that dictionaries may show another reading, but in 没有, the pronunciation is definitely méi.

Yes. That is a very natural English translation.

Depending on context, all of these work:

• Without water, there is no life.
• Without water, there would be no life.
• If there is no water, there is no life.

The Chinese sentence itself is broad and general, so English can translate it in slightly different ways depending on style.

It is neutral and works well in many contexts.

It could appear in:

• a textbook
• a science lesson
• a speech
• an article
• everyday explanation

It is simple, clear, and natural Chinese. That makes it a very good model sentence for learners.