纵身 (zòng shēn) — to jump, to leap (with one's whole body) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Describes a single whole-body leap — emphasizing the body's full extension in one motion, often used in vivid or narrative writing. Pairs with 跳 or 跃 rather than replacing them.

verb

to jumpto leap (with one's whole body)

Examples

纵身。
Tā zòng shēn tiào jìn le yóu yǒng chí.
He leaped into the swimming pool.
，。
Tā zòng le yí xià shēn, tiào guò le lán gān.
He gave a leap and jumped over the railing.
纵身，。
Jǐng chá zòng shēn yí yuè, zhuā zhù le xiǎo tōu.
The police officer leaped and caught the thief.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

纵 (leap) and 身 (body) together mean to leap with one's 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 縱; 纵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

從

從cóng縱zòng

Same sound today

The traditional form 縱 pairs the 糸 part with 從 as a sound part; the simplified 纵 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

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

Sports & Athletics

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