本身
Old HSK 6
本身 (běnshēn) · itself
本身 (běnshēn) means “itself; in itself”. It is written with 2 characters: 本 (measure word for books) + 身 (body). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).
How 本身 is built
The characters
本 běn · measure word for books
What 本 is made of
- 木mù — tree
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 八bā — eight
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: A tree 木 with its roots highlighted (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
身 shēn · body
What 身 is made of
身 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 7 strokes.
Origin hint: A pregnant woman (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
这个问题本身并不难。Zhège wèntí běnshēn bìng bù nán.The problem itself isn't hard.
工作本身就是一种学习。Gōngzuò běnshēn jiù shì yī zhǒng xuéxí.Work itself is a kind of learning.
Questions about 本身
What does 本身 mean?
本身 (běnshēn) means “itself; in itself”.
How do you pronounce 本身?
本身 is pronounced běnshēn.
Which HSK level is 本身?
本身 is in Old HSK 6.
Related words
- 本子běnzinotebook
- 课本kèběntextbook
- 笔记本bǐjìběnnotebook
- 本来běnláioriginally
- 本领běnlǐngskill
- 本事běnshiability
- 根本gēnběnat all (in negatives)
- 基本jīběnbasic
- 基本上jīběnshangbasically
- 本科běnkēundergraduate
Learn 本身 with its group
It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 9: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.