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健身 (jiàn shēn) — to exercise, to work out, to keep fit

Definition

健身 focuses on exercising to build strength and stay fit, usually at a gym. 运动 is broader — any physical activity or sport; 锻炼 is closer, also physical training but can extend to skills or willpower.

verb
to exerciseto work outto keep fit

Examples

  • 健身。
    Wǒ měi tiān jiàn shēn yí gè xiǎo shí.
    I exercise for an hour every day.
  • 健身。
    jiàn shēn Ràng wǒ gǎn jué hěn hǎo.
    Working out makes me feel good.
  • 健身？
    Nǐ jīng cháng jiàn shēn ma?
    Do you often exercise?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

健jiànmake healthy/strengthen
身shēnbody

健 means make healthy or strengthen, and 身 means body; together they express exercising to strengthen the body.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
建
建jiàn健jiàn
Same sound today

The left part 亻 depicts a person, and the right part 建 gives the sound.

Open 健 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Fitness & Exercise5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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