正身 (zhèng shēn) — the real person; one's own person (as opposed to a representative); in person; personally; identity (the genuine identity of an individual)

Definition

Refers to 'the person themselves' — emphasizing you appear, sign, or verify in your own identity, not through a representative or proxy.

noun
the real personone's own person (as opposed to a representative)in personpersonallyidentity (the genuine identity of an individual)

Examples

  • 正身。
    Tā bì xū yóu zhèng shēn qián lái bàn lǐ shǒu xù.
    He must come in person to handle the procedures.
  • 正身。
    Fǎ yuàn hé duì le fàn zuì xián yí rén de zhèng shēn.
    The court verified the identity of the criminal suspect.
  • 正身。
    Zhè ge wěi tuō shū xū yào zhèng shēn qiān zì cái yǒu xiào.
    This power of attorney requires the signature of the person themselves to be valid.

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.

正zhèngreal
身shēnbody/person

"正" (real or proper) and "身" (body or person) combine to mean one's real self or person.

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
止止zhǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng正zhèng
Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

Open 正 →

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 →

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