ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

body / oneself

shēn
7 strokes · 身 itself is the radical — a person in profile, torso emphasized · HSK 2

Where 身 comes from

身 draws a standing person in profile with the torso swollen forward — most scholars read it as a pregnant figure: the body at its most bodily. The self you carry everywhere.

身 in Chinese culture

身 is body and self at once: 身体 (body/health — 身体好吗? asks after both), 身高 (height), 本身 (itself). 身份证 is the ID card — identity as 'body-status'. Confucian self-cultivation is 修身 — polishing the self like a craftsman polishes jade. And when something happens to you personally, it happens 亲身 — 'with one's own body'. In Chinese, you don't just have a body; you are one.

Example

身体 shēntǐ — body / health

爸爸的身体很好。
Bàba de shēntǐ hěn hǎo.
Dad is in good health.

How to remember it

A person in profile, torso forward — the BODY you are.

身体好吗? 'is the body good?' is the standard health inquiry — Chinese asks after your body, not your 'health'.

Same sound, different tones

1st shēn
body
2nd shén
(in 什么: what)
4th shèn
extremely (formal)

Words unlocked by 身

身体 shēntǐ
body / health
身份证 shēnfènzhèng
ID card
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