身体
shēn tǐ
The English word "body" is translated into Chinese as 身体 (shēn tǐ).
身体 refers to the physical structure of a human or animal. It is also frequently used in many contexts to refer to a person's general health or physical condition.
Meaning: physical structure of a human or animal (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of two characters: 身, which refers to the body or torso and 体, which refers to the body or form.
Which one should you use?
While 身体 refers to the physical body or health, the technical term 躯干 is used specifically when referring to the 'torso'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the word for body is 身軀 and in Taiwanese Hokkien, it is 身體.
How does it change in a sentence?
A common way to express the idea of being in good health is to use the phrase 身体健康.
How do you pronounce it?
shēn tǐ
Did you know?
- The character 身 is an ancient pictograph that originally depicted a pregnant woman, emphasizing the 'trunk' or 'torso' of the body.
- When talking about 'body' in a legal or official sense, such as a 'governing body', Chinese does not use 身体 but instead uses 机构 which means 'organ' or 'mechanism'.
- The word 体 (tǐ) is also used in the word 本体 (běn tǐ), a philosophical term meaning 'substance' or 'essence'.
Examples in context
- 早睡早起身体好。Going to sleep and waking up early is good for the body.This sentence is useful for showing how sleep habits affect the 身体.Tatoeba #1454459 by sadhen, translation #7844489 by sharris123
- 熬夜对身体不好。Staying up is bad for your body.This sentence illustrates how staying up late is bad for the 身体.Tatoeba #14004674 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #14004675 by jan_OkulaJu
- 水果对身体非常好。Fruit is very good for your body.This sentence shows that fruit is very good for the 身体.Tatoeba #3377987 by GlossaMatik, translation #9981695 by francaisr0wlet
- 我们需要了解人体的运作方式。We need to understand how the human body functions.
- 我的身子有点疼。My body is a bit sore.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about exercise at the gym.
- 俊杰 Junjie你觉得每天运动对身体有帮助吗？Nǐ juéde měitiān yùndòng duì shēntǐ yǒu bāngzhù ma?Do you think exercising every day helps your body?
- 梓涵 Zihan是的，我觉得身体变得更强壮了。Shì de, wǒ juéde shēntǐ biàn de gèng qiángzhuàng le.Yes, I feel like my body has become stronger.
- 俊杰 Junjie我也想让身体更健康。Wǒ yě xiǎng ràng shēntǐ gèng jiànkāng.I also want to make my body healthier.
- 梓涵 Zihan那我们一起加油吧，俊杰！Nà wǒmen yìqǐ jiāyóu ba, Jùnjié!Then let's work hard together, Junjie!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
