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五体投地 (wǔ tǐ tóu dì) — to admire someone deeply; to be in awe of someone's skill or achievement

Definition

Literally 'prostrate oneself with the five limbs to the ground' — a vivid, hyperbolic idiom for admiring someone so completely that you feel you could bow down. Use it for deep awe at skill or achievement, not casual praise.

idiom
to admire someone deeplyto be in awe of someone's skill or achievement

Examples

  • 五体投地。
    Wǒ duì tā de cái huá pèi fú dé wǔ tǐ tóu dì.
    I admire his talent so much that I prostrate myself before him.
  • 五体投地。
    Zhè wèi dà shī de jì yì ràng wǒ wǔ tǐ tóu dì.
    This master's skill makes me prostrate myself in admiration.
  • ，五体投地。
    Kàn dào tā de zuò pǐn, wǒ zhēn shì wǔ tǐ tóu dì.
    Seeing his work, I truly prostrate myself in admiration.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

五体five limbs/body
五wǔfive体tǐbody/limb
偏正Modifier + head
投地prostrate to the ground
投tóuprostrate/throw地dìground
动宾Verb + object

“五体” refers to the five limbs or whole body, and “投地” means prostrate to the ground; the image conveys deep admiration.

Characters in this word

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

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →

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 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
殳
殳shū投tóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

Open 投 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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