Chinese Conversation · Level 65
90 words
Chinese word
出身
Pronunciation
Pinyinchū shēn
Meaning
- nounhometown
Example
他的出身是上海。tā de chū shēn shì shàng hǎi
His hometown is Shanghai.
More examples
他是名校出身，但为人很谦虚。tā shì míng xiào chū shēn dàn wéi rén hěn qiān xū
He is a graduate of a prestigious school, but he is very modest.
Core concept
The background a person carries from the place and family into which life begins and develops.
Common phrases
名校出身míng xiào chū shēn
graduate of a prestigious school
国外出身guó wài chū shēn
from abroad
Similar words
籍贯jí guàn: A person's or family's traditional place of origin.
出生地chū shēng dì: The place where a person was born.
家乡jiā xiāng: The town or village where a person grew up and feels at home.
祖籍zǔ jí: The ancestral place of origin tied to a person's family line.
Definition in Chinese
指一个人出生或成长的地方，也可泛指家庭或社会的出身背景。zhǐ yí gè rén chū shēng huò chéng zhǎng de dì fāng yě kě fàn zhǐ jiā tíng huò shè huì de chū shēn bèi jǐng
Word origin
出 (chū, "come out") + 身 (shēn, "person") means the origin from which a person emerges, a concrete idea that broadens naturally to family and social background.
Usage tips
- English speakers often expect one fixed location, but context can make this word describe social background, so a place name alone may not give the whole intended answer.
Other meanings
- birthplacenoun
- family backgroundnoun
Related words
- 出身地chū shēn dìplace of originnoun