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卖身 (mài shēn) — to sell oneself (into slavery or servitude); to prostitute oneself

Definition

Literally "sell one's body," used for selling oneself into slavery/servitude (historical) or prostitution. Strongly negative, tied to coercion or desperation rather than ordinary work.

verb
to sell oneself (into slavery or servitude)to prostitute oneself

Examples

  • ，卖身。
    Zài gǔ dài, qióng rén yǒu shí bù dé bú mài shēn lái yǎng jiā.
    In ancient times, poor people sometimes had to sell themselves to support their families.
  • 卖身。
    Tā wèi le huán zhài bèi pò mài shēn.
    She was forced to sell herself to pay off debts.
  • 。
    Tā wèi le huán zhài mài guò yí cì shēn.
    He sold himself once to pay off debts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

卖màisell
身shēnbody/self

卖 sell and 身 body/self combine to mean selling oneself.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賣; 卖 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 賣 came from an older shape that joined 出 (go out) with 買 (buy), which gives the sound. The simplified 卖 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 卖 →

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 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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