Meaning of 终身
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lifelong
- all one's life
- marriage
How to use 终身
终身 is mostly used before a noun to mean lifelong, as in 终身学习 (zhōngshēn xuéxí, lifelong learning) or 终身成就奖 (lifetime achievement award). It also appears in the set phrase 终身大事 (zhōngshēn dàshì), which refers to marriage. Example: 这是她的终身大事。(Zhè shì tā de zhōngshēn dàshì.) This is the big event of her life, her marriage.
终 (zhōng) means end, and 身 (shēn) means body or one's whole self. Something that lasts until the end of your body is something that lasts your whole life.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 终身 (zhōngshēn) with 终生 (zhōngshēng), which looks and sounds close. 终身 is the usual choice in fixed terms like 终身教授 and 终身大事, so do not swap in 终生 there.
终身 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
终 zhōng · end · 8 strokes
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- 8
身 shēn · body · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 终身.
| 身上 | shēnshang | on the body; at hand |
| 身体 | shēntǐ | the body; one's health |
| 身边 | shēnbiān | at one's side; on hand |
| 全身 | quánshēn | the whole body; (typography) em |
| 终于 | zhōngyú | at last; in the end |
| 始终 | shǐzhōng | from beginning to end; all along |
| 身份证 | shēnfènzhèng | identity card; ID |
| 自身 | zìshēn | itself; oneself |
| 身份 | shēnfèn | identity; aspect of one's identity (e.g. mayor, father, permanent resident); role; capacit |
| 转身 | zhuǎnshēn | (of a person) to turn round; to face about |
| 身材 | shēncái | stature; build (height and weight) |
| 健身 | jiànshēn | to exercise; to keep fit |
Questions about 终身
What does 终身 mean?
终身 (zhōngshēn) means "lifelong; all one's life" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 终身?
终身 is made of 2 characters: 终 (8 strokes), 身 (7 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 终身 an HSK word?
Yes. 终身 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 终身 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 终身 is written 終身.
Why does 终身 sometimes mean marriage?
In the phrase 终身大事, marriage is seen as the decision that shapes the rest of your life. Parents often ask grown children about their 终身大事 when they mean whether they plan to marry.
Can I use 终身 to say I did something all my life?
Yes, but it sounds formal. You can say 他终身未婚 (tā zhōngshēn wèi hūn, he never married his whole life). In casual speech people more often say 一辈子 (yíbèizi).