背影 (bèi yǐng) — the view of a person's back (especially as they… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

背影 is the visual image of a person's back, typically as they walk away — narrower than 背 (the body part). 身影 is a silhouette or distant figure, not specifically the back.

noun

the view of a person's back (especially as they walk away)a figure seen from behind

Measure word · 个

Examples

背影，。
Kàn zhe mā ma lí kāi de bèi yǐng, wǒ xīn lǐ hěn nán guò.
Watching my mother's back as she left, I felt very sad.
，背影。
Tā zhàn zài lù kǒu, mù sòng tā de bèi yǐng xiāo shī zài rén qún zhōng.
He stood at the intersection, watching her back disappear into the crowd.
背影。
Zhè zhāng zhào piàn zhī pāi dào le nǐ de bèi yǐng.
This photo only captured your back view.

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.

背 (back) and 影 (image) combine to mean the view of someone's back.

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.

北月背

Meaning part形符xíngfú

月Written in full as肉ròumeat

Sound part声符shēngfú

北

北běi背bèi

Same sound today

背 was first written as 北; 北 gives the sound, and 肉 (meat, written as 月 here) was added to separate it from 北’s north meaning.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

景彡影

Meaning part形符xíngfú

彡彡shān

Sound part声符shēngfú

景

景jǐng影yǐng

Same sound today

影 pairs 景, which gives the sound and also carries the idea of image, with 彡, the part that points to shadow.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Body Parts

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