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姿势 (zī shì) — posture; position

Definition

A concrete, everyday noun for body posture or position when standing, sitting, dancing, etc. 体态 emphasizes body shape and bearing, while 姿态 is more about poise or a figurative stance.

noun
postureposition
Measure word · 种

Examples

  • 姿势。
    Tā zhàn de shí hou zī shì hěn zhí.
    His posture is very straight when he stands.
  • 姿势。
    Tiào wǔ de shí hou yào zhù yì zī shì.
    Pay attention to your posture when dancing.
  • 姿势。
    Pāi zhào shí bǎo chí hǎo de zī shì hěn zhòng yào.
    It's important to maintain good posture when taking photos.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

姿zīposture
势shìmanner

Both 姿 and 势 relate to posture or manner, so the word means a position of the body.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
次
次cì姿zī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

姿 pairs 女, meaning woman, with 次, which gives the sound.

Open 姿 →

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 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →
Appears in
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