本体 (běn tǐ) — (philosophy) noumenon; thing-in-itself; (in general) the thing itself; main body; base version

Definition

A philosophical term for the 'thing-in-itself' (Kant's noumenon), the reality behind appearances. In general use it means the main body or base version of something, as in a game or machine.

noun
(philosophy) noumenonthing-in-itself(in general) the thing itselfmain bodybase version
Easily confused

Examples

  • 本体。
    Kāng dé zhé xué zhōng de běn tǐ yǔ xiàn xiàng shì xiāng duì de gài niàn.
    Noumenon and phenomenon are relative concepts in Kant's philosophy.
  • 本体，。
    Wǒ mǎi le yóu xì běn tǐ, dàn hái méi yǒu mǎi kuò zhǎn bāo.
    I bought the base game but haven't bought the expansion pack yet.
  • 本体，。
    Zhè tái jī qì de běn tǐ hěn zhòng, dàn pèi jiàn dōu kě yǐ chāi xiè.
    The main body of this machine is heavy, but all the accessories can be removed.

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.

本běnroot or base
体tǐbody or form

本 gives root or base and 体 gives body or form; together they mean the fundamental entity itself.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →

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.

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.

Open 体 →

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