现身说法 (xiàn shēn shuō fǎ) — (idiom) to use one's own experience as an example to explain or persuade; (Buddhist original sense) to appear in human form and expound the dharma

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to explain or persuade by drawing on one's own personal experience.' The Buddhist origin (appearing in human form to teach the dharma) is not the modern sense — today it simply means speaking from firsthand experience.

idiom
to use one's own experience as an example to explain or persuade
verb
(Buddhist original sense) to appear in human form and expound the dharma

Examples

  • 现身说法，。
    Tā zài jiǎng zuò zhōng xiàn shēn shuō fǎ, fēn xiǎng le zì jǐ dāng nián shī bài de jiào xùn.
    In the lecture, he spoke from personal experience and shared the lessons from his own failure.
  • 现身说法，。
    Lǎo zhāng xiàn shēn shuō fǎ, yòng zì jǐ de jīng lì gào sù nián qīng rén bù néng tān tú xiǎo pián yi.
    Old Zhang used his own experience to tell young people not to be greedy for small gains.
  • 现身说法，。
    Zhè běn shū xiàn shēn shuō fǎ, zuò zhě yǐ qīn shēn jīng lì jiǎng shù le chuàng yè de suān tián kǔ là.
    This book draws on the author's firsthand experience to describe the ups and downs of starting a business.

Origin

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 現; 现 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
見
見jiàn現
Same sound today

The traditional form 現 pairs 玉 (jade) with 見 as a sound part; the simplified 现 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 现 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì說shuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé法fǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Open 法 →

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