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身份证 (shēn fèn zhèng) — ID card

Definition

身份证 is the official ID card you carry for identification. 证件 is a broader word for any ID or credential document; 证 is the short general word for certificate/proof.

noun
ID card
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 身份证。
    Qǐng bǎ nǐ de shēn fèn zhèng gěi wǒ kàn yí xià.
    Please give me your ID card to look at.
  • 身份证。
    Lǚ xíng de shí hou yào dài shēn fèn zhèng.
    When traveling, you need to bring your ID card.
  • 身份证。
    Zuò fēi jī yào yòng shēn fèn zhèng.
    To fly on a plane, you need to use your ID card.

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.

身份
身shēnbody份fènshare
偏正Modifier + head
证zhèngcertificate

身份 names a person's role or status, and 证 is a certificate, so it is a certificate of identity.

Characters in this word

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn份fèn(r)
Same sound today

份 is built from 亻, the person form written in full as 人, and 分, which gives the sound.

Open 份 →

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 證; 证 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
登
登dēng證zhèng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 證 pairs 言, a words/speech part, with 登 as a sound clue; the simplified 证 is a later shorthand.

Open 证 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Everyday Objects5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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