体 tǐ — body; form; style; system
多运动对身体好。Duō yùn dòng duì shēn tǐ hǎo.Exercising more is good for the body.
Common words: 身体 (shēn tǐ)、体育 (tǐ yù)、全体 (quán tǐ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "form"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "form", including 体 (tǐ), 形 (xíng), 象 (xiàng), 式 (shì), 单 (dān / chán / shàn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "form" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 体 (tǐ), 形 (xíng), 象 (xiàng), 式 (shì), 单 (dān / chán / shàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tǐ, xíng, xiàng, shì, dān, chán, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 体 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 体 tǐbody; form; style; systemUseful words: 身体, 体育
- 形 xíngto appear; to look; form; shapeUseful words: 形象, 形成
- 象 xiàngshape; form; appearance; elephant; image under a map (math.)Useful words: 对象, 印象
- 式 shìtype; form; pattern; styleUseful words: 方式, 正式
- 单 dān / chán / shànchieftain; bill; list; form; single; onlyUseful words: 名单, 单位
Common words for these 5 "form" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 体 (tǐ) — so "form" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
身体shēn tǐthe body; one's health体育tǐ yùsports; physical education全体quán tǐall; entire形象xíng xiàngimage; form; figure; visualization形成xíng chéngto form; to take shape形式xíng shìouter appearance; form; shape; formality对象duì xiàngtarget; object; partner; boyfriend印象yìn xiàngimpression (sth that stays in one's mind); a memory形象xíng xiàngimage; form; figure; visualization方式fāng shìway; method; manner; mode
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "form".
形 xíng — to appear; to look; form; shape
月亮的形状每天都在变。Yuè liang de xíng zhuàng měi tiān dōu zài biàn.The shape of the moon changes every day.
Common words: 形象 (xíng xiàng)、形成 (xíng chéng)、形式 (xíng shì)
象 xiàng — shape; form; appearance; elephant; image under a map (math.)
大象的鼻子又长又灵活。Dà xiàng de bí zi yòu cháng yòu líng huó.The trunk of an elephant is long and flexible.
Common words: 对象 (duì xiàng)、印象 (yìn xiàng)、形象 (xíng xiàng)
式 shì — type; form; pattern; style
这是一道中式菜。Zhè shì yí dào zhōng shì cài.This is a Chinese-style dish.
Common words: 方式 (fāng shì)、正式 (zhèng shì)、形式 (xíng shì)
单 dān / chán / shàn — chieftain; bill; list; form; single; only
请把名单交给老师。Qǐng bǎ míng dān jiāo gěi lǎo shī.Please hand the name list to the teacher.
Common words: 名单 (míng dān)、单位 (dān wèi)、菜单 (cài dān)
All 5 characters
Open 体、形、象 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.