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躯壳 (qū qiào) — body (as opposed to the soul); outer form, shell

Definition

Literary term for the physical body, often contrasted with 灵魂 (soul, spirit). Carries a detached or philosophical tone — rarely used for everyday talk about bodies.

noun
body (as opposed to the soul)outer formshell
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 躯壳。
    Hěn duō rén rèn wéi líng hún bǐ qū qiào gèng zhòng yào.
    Many people believe that the soul is more important than the body.
  • 躯壳，。
    Zhè ge gǔ lǎo de diāo xiàng zhī shèng xià qū qiào, nèi bù yǐ jīng kōng le.
    This ancient statue is left with only its outer shell; the inside is already hollow.
  • 躯壳，。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ bèi kùn zài qū qiào lǐ, wú fǎ zì yóu biǎo dá.
    He feels trapped in his physical body, unable to express himself freely.

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.

躯qūbody
壳késhell

躯 is the body and 壳 the shell, so it pictures the body as its outer shell.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 軀; 躯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
身身shēnbody
Sound part声符shēngfú
區
區qū軀qū
Same sound today

The traditional form 軀 puts 身, a body, beside 區, which gives the sound. The simplified 躯 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 躯 →

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 殼; 壳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
几几jǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
㱿
㱿㱿殼ké(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 殼 is built from 几 (the meaning part) and 㱿 (the sound part); the simplified 壳 is a later shorthand.

Open 壳 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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