船身 (chuán shēn) — hull (body of a ship) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

hull (body of a ship)

Measure word · 个

Examples

船身。
Zhè sōu chuán de chuán shēn hěn jiān gù.
The hull of this ship is very sturdy.
船身。
Gōng rén zhèng zài xiū lǐ chuán shēn.
Workers are repairing the hull.
船身。
chuán shēn Shàng yǒu yí gè dà dòng.
There is a big hole in the hull.

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.

船 is a ship and 身 is its body; together they name the main body or hull.

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

舟舟zhōuboat

Sound part声符shēngfú

㕣

㕣㕣船

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its sound.

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.

Appears in

Boats & Water Travel

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