尸 (shī) — corpse, dead body (bound form, used in compounds)
Definition
尸 (shī) is a bound morpheme meaning 'corpse', almost always appearing as the first element of compounds like 尸体. Standalone 尸 is literary and rare; learners will meet it almost exclusively in 尸体.
corpsedead body (bound form, used in compounds)
Examples
- 。Jǐng chá fā xiàn le shī tǐ.The police discovered a corpse.
- 。shī Tǐ xū yào mǎ shàng chǔ lǐ.The corpse needs to be handled immediately.
- 。Tā duì shī tǐ jìn xíng le jiǎn chá.He performed an examination on the corpse.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 屍; 尸 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 屍 pairs 尸 as a sound part with 死 as a meaning part; this evidence does not explain 尸 alone.
Appears in
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