TongTong
Sign in

脱身 (tuō shēn) — to get away, to extricate oneself (from a task, meeting, or obligation)

Definition

Means getting away from an obligation (a meeting, task, or responsibility) — not physical escape like 逃/逃生. 脱 alone is physical (clothes, danger); 脱离 is more abstract (break away from).

verb
to get awayto extricate oneself (from a task, meeting, or obligation)

Examples

  • ，脱身。
    Tā gōng zuò tài duō, gēn běn tuō shēn bù liǎo.
    He has too much work and simply can't get away.
  • ，。
    Tā tài máng le, yì zhí tuō bù kāi shēn.
    He is too busy and has been unable to get away.
  • 脱身，。
    Wǒ xiǎng zǎo diǎn tuō shēn, dàn lǎo bǎn bú ràng zǒu.
    I wanted to get away early, but the boss wouldn't let me leave.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

脱tuōfree
身shēnbody/self

脱身 joins 脱 (free) and 身 (body/self), meaning to get oneself away.

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 脫; 脱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì脫tuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脫 puts ⺼ (meat) beside 兌, which gives the sound; the simplified 脱 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 脱 →

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 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.