姿态 (zī tài) — posture, bearing, poise (physical); attitude, s… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

姿态 covers both a person's physical bearing ('posture, poise') and figurative 'attitude, stance'. More literary and broader than 态度 (everyday 'attitude'); more about demeanor than 姿势 (a specific body position).

noun

posturebearingpoise (physical)attitudestanceapproach (figurative)

Examples

姿态，。
Tā zuò de zī tài hěn fàng sōng, xiǎn de hěn zì xìn.
He sits with a relaxed posture and looks very confident.
姿态。
Lǎo bǎn yǐ huān yíng de zī tài yíng jiē le xīn tóng shì.
The boss welcomed the new colleague with an open attitude.
，姿态。
Zài tán pàn zhōng, wǒ fāng biǎo míng le jiān dìng de zī tài.
During the negotiations, our side expressed a firm stance.

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

态tàibearing

姿 means posture and 态 means bearing; together they refer to physical posture or a figurative attitude.

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.

次女姿

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

太心态

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

太

太tài态tài

Same sound today

态 is made of 太, which gives the sound, and 心 (heart).

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Abstract Concepts Body Parts

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