Meaning of 身份证
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- identity card
- ID
How to use 身份证
身份证 is the standard word for the national ID card in mainland China, needed for trains, hotels, banks and phone plans. People often shorten 身份证号 to mean the ID number. Example: 请出示您的身份证。(Qǐng chūshì nín de shēnfènzhèng.) Please show your ID card.
Break it into three parts: 身 (shēn) body or person, 份 (fèn) share or role, and 证 (zhèng) certificate. Together they make a certificate that proves who your person is, your identity card.
Common mistake: Learners often write 分 (fēn) instead of 份 (fèn) in 身份. Remember 份 has the person radical 亻 and is read with fourth tone here. Also, 证 is fourth tone zhèng, not third tone like 整 (zhěng).
身份证 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
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
份 fèn · classifier for gifts · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
证 zhèng · certificate · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 身份证.
| 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 |
| 保证 | bǎozhèng | guarantee; to guarantee |
| 证明 | zhèngmíng | proof; certificate |
| 证据 | zhèngjù | evidence; proof |
| 证件 | zhèngjiàn | certificate; papers; credentials; document; 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 |
Questions about 身份证
What does 身份证 mean?
身份证 (shēnfènzhèng) means "identity card; ID" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 身份证?
身份证 is made of 3 characters: 身 (7 strokes), 份 (6 strokes), 证 (7 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 身份证 an HSK word?
Yes. 身份证 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 身份证 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 身份证 is written 身份證.
Can I use 身份证 to talk about a foreign passport?
Not really. A passport is 护照 (hùzhào). 身份证 means a national identity card, so foreigners in China usually show their 护照 instead.
What does 身份 mean on its own?
身份 (shēnfèn) means identity or status, as in 他的身份很特殊 (Tā de shēnfèn hěn tèshū), His status is special. Adding 证 turns it into the physical card that proves that identity.