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半身像 (bàn shēn xiàng) — half-length portrait (painting or photo); bust (sculpture of head and shoulders)

Definition

A half-figure image or sculpture showing the head and upper body (often down to the waist). 全身像 is a full-body portrait; 头像 is just the head.

noun
half-length portrait (painting or photo)bust (sculpture of head and shoulders)
Measure word · 幅

Examples

  • 半身像。
    Zhè shì yì zhāng bàn shēn xiàng.
    This is a half-length portrait.
  • 半身像。
    Zhè ge bàn shēn xiàng shì yòng qīng tóng zuò de.
    This bust is made of bronze.
  • 半身像。
    Zhǎn lǎn guǎn lǐ zhǎn chū le hěn duō bàn shēn xiàng.
    Many half-length portraits were exhibited in the exhibition hall.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

半身half body
半bànhalf身shēnbody
偏正Modifier + head
像xiàngimage

半身 ('half body') and 像 ('image') combine to mean a portrait of the upper body.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

Open 半 →

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 →

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
象
象xiàng像
Same sound today

像 uses 亻, the side form of 人 (person), with 象 giving the sound.

Open 像 →
Appears in
Art & Fine Arts

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