TongTong
Sign in

主体 (zhǔ tǐ) — main body, main part (of a structure, text, organization, etc.); subject, agent (in law, philosophy, economics)

Definition

主体 names the principal entity within a system — the main part of a structure/text, or the acting subject in law/philosophy. Don't confuse with 重心 (the core focus) or 媒介/中介 (the intermediaries between parties).

noun
main bodymain part (of a structure, text, organization, etc.)subjectagent (in law, philosophy, economics)

Examples

  • 主体。
    Zhè zuò dà qiáo de zhǔ tǐ jié gòu yǐ jīng wán chéng.
    The main structure of this bridge has been completed.
  • ，主体。
    Zài fǎ lǜ shàng, zì rán rén shì zuì jī běn de quán lì zhǔ tǐ.
    In law, natural persons are the most basic subjects of rights.
  • 主体。
    Bào gào de zhǔ tǐ bù fen tǎo lùn le shì chǎng qū shì.
    The main body of the report discusses market trends.

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.

主zhǔmain
体tǐbody

主 contributes 'main' and 体 contributes 'body', together meaning the main body or subject.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.