翻身

fānshēn

verb HSK 7-9 #10,854

Meanings

1 to turn over (when lying)
2 to free oneself
3 to change one's fortunes

Characters

to flip; to turn over

Examples

HSK 5

他在床上翻身翻了好几次。

Tā zài chuáng shàng fānshēn fān le hǎojǐ cì.

He turned over several times in bed.

HSK 5

穷人终于翻身了。

Qióngrén zhōngyú fānshēn le.

The poor finally freed themselves from oppression.

Tips

usage

翻身 literally means 'flip one's body.' Figuratively, it means to break free from oppression or poverty and turn one's life around.

Stroke Order

翻 fān

身 shēn