置身 (zhì shēn) — to place oneself (in a certain position or situ… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to place oneself in (a situation)'. Used in written Chinese, often with 于 + an abstract setting (置身于…), not everyday speech.

verb

to place oneself (in a certain position or situation)to stay (in a particular environment)

Examples

置身。
Tā zhì shēn yú wēi xiǎn zhī zhōng què háo bú wèi jù.
He placed himself in danger but showed no fear.
，。
Zhè jiàn shì yǔ nǐ wú guān, zuì hǎo zhì shēn shì wài.
This matter has nothing to do with you; you'd better stay out of it.
，。
Tā zhì guò shēn yú duō gè bù tóng de lǐng yù, jīng yàn fēng fù.
He has placed himself in many different fields and has rich experience.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

"置" means place and "身" means self, together meaning to place oneself.

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.

罒直置

Meaning part形符xíngfú

罒Written in full as网wǎng

Sound part声符shēngfú

直

直zhí置zhì

Same sound today

置 is built from 罒, a net, on top and 直 below; 直 gives the sound.

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

Abstract Concepts

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