身居 (shēn jū) — to hold (a high position); to be in (a position of)

Definition

Literary/书面 phrase meaning 'to hold (a position)'. Used in formal writing, not everyday speech. Typically followed by a rank or role like 高位 or 要职.

verb
to hold (a high position)to be in (a position of)

Examples

  • 身居。
    Tā shēn jū gāo wèi què bú wàng bǎi xìng jí kǔ.
    He holds a high position but never forgets the people's hardships.
  • 身居，。
    Zhè wèi jiào shòu shēn jū yào zhí duō nián, jīng yàn fēng fù.
    This professor has held a key post for many years and is very experienced.
  • 身居，。
    Tā shēn jū hǎi wài, réng xīn xì zǔ guó.
    She lives overseas but still cares about her motherland.

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shēnoneself
居jūreside

身 gives the idea of oneself and 居 means to reside, describing being situated in a position.

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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ居jū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

居 is built from 尸 as the meaning part and 古 (gǔ) as the sound part.

Open 居 →

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