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投身 (tóu shēn) — to throw oneself into (a cause, career, etc.), to dedicate oneself to

Definition

投身 means to throw oneself into a cause — a committed, wholehearted plunge into work, not casual involvement. Pairs with 事业 in the sense of a mission/cause, and is more emotionally invested than the broader 投入.

verb
to throw oneself into (a cause, career, etc.)to dedicate oneself to

Examples

  • 投身。
    Tā dà xué bì yè hòu tóu shēn le huán bǎo shì yè.
    After graduating from college, he threw himself into the environmental protection cause.
  • 投身。
    Xǔ duō kē xué jiā tóu shēn yú jī chǔ yán jiū.
    Many scientists dedicate themselves to fundamental research.
  • 投身。
    Tā yì rán tóu shēn dào fú pín gōng zuò zhōng qù.
    She resolutely threw herself into poverty alleviation work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

投tóuthrow
身shēnbody/self

投 expresses throwing and 身 refers to the body or self, giving the idea of throwing oneself into a cause.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
殳
殳shū投tóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

Open 投 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Will & Intention

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