尸体 (shī tǐ) — dead body; corpse | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A forensic or factual term for a 'dead body / corpse'. Unlike 遗体, which is the respectful word for a deceased person's remains, 尸体 is clinical and often paired with crime or disaster contexts.

noun

dead bodycorpse

Measure word · 具

Examples

尸体。
Fǎ yī zhèng zài jiǎn chá zhè jù shī tǐ.
The forensic examiner is examining this corpse.
尸体。
Tā men zài fèi xū zhōng fā xiàn le yí jù shī tǐ.
They found a dead body in the ruins.
尸体。
Zhè jù shī tǐ de shēn fèn shàng wèi què rèn.
The identity of this corpse has not yet been confirmed.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

尸 (corpse) and 体 (body) together refer to a dead 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 屍; 尸 is its simplified writing.

尸死屍

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

尸

尸shī屍shī

Same sound today

The traditional form 屍 pairs 尸 as a sound part with 死 as a meaning part; this evidence does not explain 尸 alone.

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

骨豊體

Meaning part形符xíngfú

骨骨gǔbone

Sound part声符shēngfú

豊

豊lǐ體tǐ

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 1000 Most Frequent Chinese Words Body Parts 2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words 3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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