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身体 (shēn tǐ) — body; health

Definition

身体 means 'body' (physical body) and 'health' as in 身体怎么样. More formal and general than the colloquial 身子; contrast with 人体, which is the body in scientific/anatomical contexts.

noun
bodyhealth
Measure word · 具, 个

Examples

  • 身体。
    Wǒ shēn tǐ hěn hǎo.
    I am in good health.
  • 身体？
    Nǐ shēn tǐ zěn me yàng?
    How is your health?
  • 身体。
    Měi tiān hē shuǐ duì shēn tǐ hǎo.
    Drinking water every day is good for your health.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

身shēnbody
体tǐbody

Both parts refer to the body, together naming the physical body or one's health.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 →
Appears in
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