Definition
实物 (shíwù) means a concrete, physical object you can see and touch. Unlike 实体 (shítǐ) 'entity' (which can be an abstract organization) and 物质 (wùzhì) 'matter/substance' (a conceptual category), 实物 always refers to a tangible thing. It also means 'in kind' when used for rewards, contrasting with cash.
noun
concrete objectphysical itemin kind (as opposed to cash or virtual form)
Easily confused
- 食物shí wùsound-alikefood
- 事物shì wùsound-alikething; object
- 事务shì wùsound-alikeaffairs, matters (of work, politics, etc.)
- 失误shī wùsound-alike(noun) error, mistake, fault
Examples
- 实物。Wǎngshàng kàn dào de túpiàn hé shí wù bú tài yíyàng.The pictures seen online are not quite the same as the actual object.
- 实物，。Gōngsī gěi de jiǎnglì shì shí wù, bú shì xiànjīn.The reward from the company is in kind, not cash.
- 实物，。Bówùguǎn lǐ zhǎn chū de shì shí wù, bú shì fùzhìpǐn.What is displayed in the museum is the real object, not a replica.
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