身影 (shēnyǐng): silhouette

Measure Word

一个身影 gè

Meanings

1 silhouette
2 figure
3 form (of a person)

Characters

Literally 'body shadow' — a person's figure or silhouette, often seen from a distance

Examples

我看到一个熟悉的身影。

Wǒ kàndào yīgè shúxī de shēnyǐng.

I saw a familiar figure.

她的身影渐渐消失在雨中。

Tā de shēnyǐng jiànjiàn xiāoshī zài yǔ zhōng.

Her figure gradually disappeared in the rain.

到处都能看到志愿者忙碌的身影。

Dàochù dōu néng kàndào zhìyuànzhě mánglù de shēnyǐng.

You can see the busy figures of volunteers everywhere.

Tips

usage

身影 is more literary and evocative than 人影. It often appears in descriptive or emotional writing to create a visual image of someone seen from afar.

Stroke Order

身 shēn

影 yǐng

Related Words

随身 suíshēn HSK 7-9 #6,019

on one's person / portable / carried with one

身子 shēnzi HSK 7-9 #5,925

body / pregnancy

人身 rénshēn HSK 7-9 #7,772

personal (safety/rights) / one's person / personal body

亲身 qīnshēn HSK 7-9 #9,120

personally / firsthand / in person

身价 shēnjià HSK 7-9 #13,716

social status / personal worth / market value (of a person)

身心 shēnxīn HSK 7-9 #9,846

body and mind / physical and mental

影像 yǐngxiàng HSK 7-9 #4,802

image / video footage / visual

浑身 húnshēn HSK 7-9 #4,362

all over the body / from head to toe

脱身 tuōshēn HSK 7-9 #5,632

to get away / to extricate oneself / to free oneself

单身 dānshēn HSK 7-9 #2,072

single / unmarried / unattached