身 is a Chinese character with 7 strokes, radical 身 (body), HSK 2 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
身 is a clear pictograph in oracle bone script showing a human figure in profile with a prominently rounded belly, usually interpreted as a pregnant woman. A small dot or short stroke inside the curve marks the fetus. Some scholars read it instead as a standing person with an emphasised torso, but the pregnancy reading is the majority view and fits the earliest attested meanings.
Form evolution
Bronze inscriptions preserve the swollen-belly silhouette but begin to abstract the limbs into simple strokes. Seal script regularises the figure into a vertical column with a curved belly line and an internal stroke, losing the human outline. Clerical script squared everything off into the seven-stroke form used today, and regular script made no further changes; simplified and traditional writing are identical.
How the meaning evolved
The original sense was the pregnant body, which extended naturally to body in general, then to oneself, a person's station in life, and a classifier for suits of clothing. Classical Chinese uses 身 for one's physical person (修身, cultivate oneself) and for social identity (出身, origin, background). Modern Mandarin retains all these and adds compounds like 身份 (identity) and 身体 (body).
Cultural note
The Confucian programme of 修身齐家治国平天下 (cultivate the self, order the family, govern the state, bring peace to all under heaven) puts 身 at the foundation of ethical life. Learners sometimes write 身 with six strokes by dropping the internal stroke; the correct form has seven, and the inner stroke is the remnant of the fetus marker.
Mnemonic
A pregnant belly — the body
Basic info
| Stroke count | 7 strokes |
| Radical | 身 (#158: body) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #240 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 身
Related characters
On the new HSK 2 exam
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.