身板 (shēn bǎn) — (colloquial) body; physique

Definition

A colloquial word for one's 'physique' or 'build' (especially how sturdy or upright it looks), more about visible body condition than 身体 (the body as a whole).

noun
(colloquial) bodyphysique

Examples

  • 身板，。
    Tā shēn bǎn hěn jiē shi, yí kàn jiù shì jīng cháng duàn liàn de rén.
    He has a strong physique — you can tell at a glance that he exercises regularly.
  • ，身板。
    Yé ye nián jì dà le, shēn bǎn bù rú cóng qián nà me yìng lǎng le.
    Grandpa is getting old, and his body is not as robust as before.
  • ，身板，。
    Tā suī rán gè zi bù gāo, dàn shēn bǎn hěn tǐng bá, zhàn zī fēi cháng hǎo kàn.
    Although she's not tall, she has a very upright physique and her posture is beautiful.

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.

身shēnbody
板bǎnboard

身 (body) and 板 (board) suggest the body's sturdy frame.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
反
反fǎn板bǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

板 pairs 木 (tree) with 反 as a sound part.

Open 板 →

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