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安身 (ān shēn) — to settle down, to make a home (for oneself); to take shelter, to take refuge (temporarily)

Definition

Literary/formal verb meaning to settle down or find shelter, often in the fixed phrase 安身之处. It emphasizes securing a place to live, more literary than everyday 住 or 居住.

verb
to settle downto make a home (for oneself)to take shelterto take refuge (temporarily)

Examples

  • 安身，。
    Tā zhī xiǎng zhǎo yí gè ān shēn de dì fāng, guò píng jìng de shēng huó.
    He just wants to find a place to settle down and live a peaceful life.
  • ，。
    Tā zài zhè ge chéng shì ān xià le shēn, kāi shǐ le xīn shēng huó.
    He settled down in this city and started a new life.
  • 安身，。
    Zhàn luàn ràng rén men wú fǎ ān shēn, zhǐ néng sì chù táo wáng.
    The war made it impossible for people to settle down, and they could only flee everywhere.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

安ānsettle
身shēnbody/self

安 means settle and 身 means body/self; settle one's body means take shelter.

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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
Home & Housing

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