屍 meaning and stroke order
Body, corpse
How to write 屍, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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- 9
Meaning of 屍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) corpse
How 屍 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A dead 死 body 尸; 尸 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 尸 (body), shared by 40 characters on this site.
How to remember 屍
屍 is a body 尸 (shī) wrapped over the character for death 死 (sǐ). A dead 死 body 尸 is a corpse, and 尸 also gives the sound shī.
屍 is the traditional form, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Mainland simplified Chinese just writes 尸 for this meaning. It appears in compounds rather than alone, as in 屍體 (shītǐ) corpse. Example: 警察發現了一具屍體。(Jǐngchá fāxiàn le yí jù shītǐ.) The police found a body.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 屍 in simplified texts, but in simplified Chinese the correct form is just 尸, as in 尸体 (shītǐ). Also do not confuse the tone with 死 (sǐ). 屍 is first tone shī, and 死 is third tone sǐ.
Common words with 屍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 屍體 | shītǐ | corpse; dead body | HSK 7-9 |
| 殭屍 | jiāngshī | gyonshi; jiang shi | |
| 驗屍 | yànshī | autopsy; postmortem examination | |
| 死屍 | sǐshī | corpse; dead body | |
| 行屍走肉 | xíngshīzǒuròu | walking corpse (idiom); zombie | |
| 驗屍官 | yànshīguān | coroner | |
| 屍檢 | shījiǎn | autopsy | |
| 停屍房 | tíngshīfáng | mortuary | |
| 喪屍 | sāngshī | zombie | |
| 屍骨 | shīgǔ | skeleton of the dead | |
| 碎屍萬段 | suìshīwànduàn | (idiom) to cut up sb's body into thousands of pieces (a hyperbolic threat) | |
| 停屍間 | tíngshījiān | morgue | |
| 屍首 | 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 | |
| 收屍 | shōushī | to collect or retrieve a corpse (for burial or cremation); to claim a body |
Questions about 屍
How many strokes are in 屍?
屍 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 屍 mean?
屍 (shī) means body, corpse. A common word with it is 尸体 (shītǐ), meaning "corpse; dead body".
How do you pronounce 屍?
屍 is pronounced shī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 屍?
The radical of 屍 is 尸, which carries the idea of "body". Dictionaries list 屍 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 屍?
屍 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 尸, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What measure word is used for a corpse in Chinese?
Use 具 (jù), as in 一具屍體 (yí jù shītǐ) one corpse. Using 个 (gè) is understood but sounds less natural in news or formal writing.
What does 僵屍 (jiāngshī) mean?
It is the hopping vampire or zombie of Chinese folklore and films, often romanized as jiangshi. In everyday speech it can also describe something stiff or lifeless.