满身 (mǎn shēn) — entire body, all over one's body | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

满身 emphasizes something covers the WHOLE body (sweat, mud, injuries). It is a noun phrase, not an adjective — pair it with a noun like 汗 or 泥 to say "all over one's body."

noun

entire bodyall over one's body

Examples

满身。
Tā pǎo wán bù mǎn shēn shì hàn.
After running, his entire body was covered in sweat.
，满身。
Hái zi shuāi le yì jiāo, mǎn shēn dōu shì ní.
The child fell and was covered in mud all over.
满身，。
Tā gǎn dào mǎn shēn suān tòng, zhī xiǎng xiū xi.
She felt aches all over her body and just wanted to rest.

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.

满 and 身 combine to mean the whole 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 滿; 满 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

㒼

㒼㒼滿mǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 滿 pairs 水, showing water, with 㒼, giving the sound. The simplified 满 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.

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.

Appears in

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