< reH latlh qabDaq > qul tuj law' Hoch tuj puS
The fire is always hotter on someone else's face. (PK)
This sentence seems to be comparing "the hotness of fire on someone else's face" with "the hotness of everything (including one's own face)", and not "the hotness of fire on someone else's face" with "the hotness of everything on someone else's face". That is, the English translation is not "The fire is always hotter than anything else on someone else's face", but is implied to be "The hottest fire is always on someone else's face". The {latlh qabDaq} seems to apply only to the first half of the comparison (the {qul} and the first {tuj}).
So to re-cast your first example, I would see nothing wrong with:
Suvlu'taHvIS batlh potlh law' yIn potlh puS [or]
Suvlu'taHvIS batlh potlh law' tlhuH potlh puS
But neither of these express "breath(ing) while living".