尸 meaning and stroke order
Body, corpse
How to write 尸, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 尸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) corpse
- (literary) person representing the deceased (during burial ceremonies)
- (literary) to put a corpse on display (after execution)
- variant of 屍|尸[shi1]
How 尸 is built
Pictographic character. A man keeled over.
How to remember 尸
The etymology hint describes 尸 as a picture of a man keeled over. Picture the flat top as a body lying down and the long sweeping stroke as legs slumped to the side, and you have a corpse.
尸 (shī) rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It mostly appears in words like 尸体 (shītǐ, corpse) and 尸检 (shījiǎn, autopsy). Example: 警察发现了一具尸体。(Jǐngchá fāxiàn le yí jù shītǐ.) The police found a dead body.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 尸 (shī) with 户 (hù, door, household), which has an extra dot on top. Also note that 尸 is the radical in many unrelated characters like 屋 (wū, house) and 层 (céng, layer), so it does not always mean death there.
Common words with 尸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 尸体 | shītǐ | corpse; dead body | HSK 7-9 |
| 僵尸 | jiāngshī | gyonshi; jiang shi | |
| 验尸 | yànshī | autopsy; postmortem examination | |
| 死尸 | sǐshī | corpse; dead body | |
| 行尸走肉 | xíngshīzǒuròu | walking corpse (idiom); zombie | |
| 验尸官 | yànshīguān | coroner | |
| 尸检 | shījiǎn | autopsy | |
| 停尸房 | tíngshīfáng | mortuary | |
| 丧尸 | sāngshī | zombie | |
| 尸骨 | shīgǔ | skeleton of the dead | |
| 碎尸万段 | suìshīwànduàn | (idiom) to cut up sb's body into thousands of pieces (a hyperbolic threat) | |
| 停尸间 | tíngshījiān | morgue | |
| 尸首 | shīshou | dead body; corpse (Note: In expressions like 屍首分離|尸首分离[shi1 shou5 fen1 li2] or 屍首異處|尸首异处[s | |
| 收尸 | shōushī | to collect or retrieve a corpse (for burial or cremation); to claim a body |
尸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 尸
Learning 尸 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 尸
How many strokes are in 尸?
尸 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 尸 mean?
尸 (shī) means body, corpse. A common word with it is 尸体 (shītǐ), meaning "corpse; dead body".
How do you pronounce 尸?
尸 is pronounced shī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the traditional form of 尸?
The traditional form of 尸 is 屍. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 尸 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 尸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 尸 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What measure word is used with 尸体?
The usual measure word is 具 (jù), as in 一具尸体 (yí jù shītǐ, one corpse). This is a formal measure word used for corpses and coffins.
What does 僵尸 mean in Chinese culture?
僵尸 (jiāngshī) is the hopping vampire or zombie of Chinese folklore, a stiff corpse that moves by hopping. The word is also used loosely for zombies in Western films and games.