身份 meaning in English
identity; aspect of one's identity (e.g. mayor, father, permanent resident); role; capacity (as in "in his capacity as ..." 以[yi3] + ... + 的身份[de5 shen1 fen4]); status (social, legal etc); position; rank
Meaning of 身份
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- identity; aspect of one's identity (e.g. mayor, father, permanent resident); role; capacity (as in "in his capacity as ..." 以[yi3] + ... + 的身份[de5 shen1 fen4]); status (social, legal etc); position; rank
How to use 身份
身份 covers both legal identity and social role or status. A common pattern is 以……的身份 (yǐ ... de shēnfèn), meaning "in the capacity of." Example: 他以父亲的身份参加了会议。(Tā yǐ fùqīn de shēnfèn cānjiā le huìyì.) He attended the meeting in his capacity as a father.
身 (shēn) is the body or person, and 份 (fèn) means a share or portion, so 身份 is the share or place a person holds in society. Think of your identity as your own portion of the world, the part that belongs to you.
Common mistake: Learners often write 份 (fèn) without the person radical 亻, giving 分 (fēn), or read it with first tone. Note that 身分 is an older variant still seen in Taiwan, but 身份 with 份 is the standard mainland form.
身份 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.
身 shēn · body · 7 strokes
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份 fèn · classifier for gifts · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 身份.
| 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 |
| 月份 | yuèfèn | month |
| 身份证 | shēnfènzhèng | identity card; ID |
| 自身 | zìshēn | itself; oneself |
| 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 |
| 身高 | shēngāo | (a person's) height |
| 一身 | yīshēn | whole body; from head to toe |
Questions about 身份
What does 身份 mean?
身份 (shēnfèn) means "identity; aspect of one's identity (e.g. mayor, father, permanent resident); role; capacity (as in "in his capacity as ..." 以[yi3] + ... + 的身份[de5 shen1 fen4]); status (social, legal etc); position; rank" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 身份?
身份 is made of 2 characters: 身 (7 strokes), 份 (6 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 身份 an HSK word?
Yes. 身份 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 身份 and 身份证?
身份 (shēnfèn) is the abstract idea of identity or status. 身份证 (shēnfènzhèng) adds 证 (zhèng, certificate) and means the physical identity card, as in 请出示身份证 (qǐng chūshì shēnfènzhèng), please show your ID.
Can 身份 mean someone has high status?
Yes. 有身份的人 (yǒu shēnfèn de rén) means a person of standing or social status. Saying something 不符合他的身份 (bù fúhé tā de shēnfèn) means it does not suit his position.