身形 (shēn xíng) — figure, physical build (of a person)

Definition

noun
figurephysical build (of a person)

Examples

  • 身形,。
    Tā de shēn xíng gāo dà kuí wu, ràng rén hěn yǒu ān quán gǎn.
    His tall and sturdy figure makes people feel very safe.
  • 身形,。
    Yú jiā kě yǐ gǎi shàn shēn xíng, ràng shēn tǐ gèng róu ruǎn.
    Yoga can improve your physique and make your body more flexible.
  • ,身形。
    Tā suī rán chuān zhuó kuān sōng de yī fu, dàn shēn xíng xiàn tiáo yī rán yōu měi.
    Even though she wore loose clothing, the lines of her figure were still graceful.

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.

身形 joins 身 'body' and 形 'shape' to mean a person's physical build.

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →
Appears in

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