Meaning
body; torso; person; life; status; pregnancy
Chinese: 身体、身份或自身。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “shen” becomes a different word in each tone. 身 is the 1st tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 身上shēn shangon the body; at hand; among
- 身体shēn tǐthe body; one's health
- 身边shēn biānat one's side; on hand
- 全身quán shēnthe whole body; (typography) em
- 自身zì shēnitself; oneself; one's own
Example Sentence
运动让我的身体更健康。Yùn dòng ràng wǒ de shēn tǐ gèng jiàn kāng.Exercise makes my body healthier.
运动Yùn dòngto move让ràngto let我wǒI的deof身体shēn tǐthe body更gèngmore健康jiàn kānghealth。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph of a human body in profile with the belly emphasized — originally a pregnant figure. It means ‘body’.
A way to remember it
A standing body with a rounded middle.
Easy to confuse with
- 射‘To shoot’: 身 (body) next to 寸 (hand) — a body drawing a bow.