本身

běn shēn

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 6 Pronoun Common

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Definitions

1. itself
2. in itself
3. per se

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Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

• 本人 běn rén 本人 běn rén I; me; myself Means 'oneself (personally)', more formal and often used in official contexts.: I; me; myself

Synonyms

2 items

• 自己 zì jǐ 自己 zì jǐ oneself Used to refer back to the subject, 'self', but 本身 is more formal and abstract.: oneself
• 自身 zì shēn 自身 zì shēn itself Also means 'self', often interchangeable with 本身, but 本身 can emphasize the inherent nature.: itself

Usage notes

Common mistakes

Don't use 本身 with animate pronouns like 我 or 他; use 自己 or 本人 instead. 本身 is for abstract or inanimate referents.

Formality

本身 is formal and common in written Chinese; in casual speech, 自己 is preferred for 'self'.

Example Sentences

2 shown

这个想法 本身 很好。

The idea itself is good.

設計 本身 有問題。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 6728899)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 本身

• 它本身 它本身 tā běn shēn: itself

Child Words of 本身

• 本 本 běn: root
• 身 身 shēn: body