身体力行 (shēn tǐ lì xíng) — to practice what one preaches; to lead by example through one's own actions

Definition

Idiom meaning to put one's principles into action — 'practice what you preach.' Emphasizes personal action matching one's words, stronger than just 说 or agreeing in principle.

idiom
to practice what one preachesto lead by example through one's own actions

Examples

  • ，身体力行，。
    Zuò wéi lǐng dǎo, tā shǐ zhōng shēn tǐ lì xíng, shēn shòu xià shǔ zūn jìng.
    As a leader, he always practices what he preaches and is deeply respected by his subordinates.
  • ，身体力行，。
    Lǎo shī cháng cháng gào sù wǒ men yào ài hù huán jìng, zì jǐ yě shēn tǐ lì xíng, cóng bú luàn rēng lā jī.
    The teacher often tells us to protect the environment, and he himself sets an example by never littering.
  • ，。
    Tā bù jǐn zài kǒu tóu shàng zhī chí gǎi gé, gèng zài háng dòng shàng shēn tǐ lì xíng.
    He not only supports reform in words but also puts it into practice through his actions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

身体body
身shēnbody体tǐform
联合Side by side
力行practice earnestly
力lìeffort行xíngpractice
偏正Modifier + head

身体 means the body or oneself and 力行 means to practice earnestly, giving the idea of practicing personally.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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