Chinese word

独身

Pronunciation

Pinyindú shēn

Meaning

  • adjectivesingle

Example

他现在还是独身。tā xiàn zài hái shì dú shēn

He is still single.

Illustration for 独身 (single)

More examples

现在有越来越多人选择独身生活。xiàn zài yǒu yuè lái yuè duō rén xuǎn zé dú shēn shēng huó

More and more people are choosing single life now.

Core concept

A life lived as one person rather than as part of a married pair.

Common phrases

  • 独身生活dú shēn shēng huó

    single life

  • 保持独身bǎo chí dú shēn

    remain single

  • 独身人士dú shēn rén shì

    single person

Similar words

单身dān shēn: Describes someone who is not married in ordinary conversation.
未婚wèi hūn: Describes someone who has not married before.

Definition in Chinese

指没有结婚关系、处于未婚或单身状态的人或状态。zhǐ méi yǒu jié hūn guān xì chǔ yú wèi hūn huò dān shēn zhuàng tài de rén huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

独 (dú, "alone") + 身 (shēn, "body or person") forms a picture of one person by themself, leading to the meaning of being outside marriage.

Usage tips

  • A person can be dating and still be 独身 (dúshēn, "single") because this word tracks marriage status, not whether a romantic partner is present.

Other meanings

  • single personnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 独身汉dú shēn hànbachelornoun
  • 独身贵族dú shēn guì zúsingle aristocratnoun

Word lists with this word