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独身 (dú shēn) — to be single; to be unmarried

Definition

独身 (dú shēn) means being unmarried — close in meaning to 单身, but 独身 emphasizes a solo, self-sufficient lifestyle rather than just relationship status.

verb
to be singleto be unmarried

Examples

  • 独身。
    Tā sì shí suì hái shì dú shēn.
    He is still single at forty.
  • 独身，。
    Hěn duō nián qīng rén xuǎn zé dú shēn, bù xiǎng jié hūn.
    Many young people choose to be single and don't want to get married.
  • 独身。
    dú shēn Shēng huó ràng tā jué de hěn zì zài.
    Single life makes him feel very free.

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.

独dúalone
身shēnbody

独 'alone' and 身 'body' combine to mean a lone body, hence unmarried.

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 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Open 独 →

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 7-9Romance & Marriage

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