How common it is
身材 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say shēn cái slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“身材”是指一个人身体的外形和轮廓，比如高矮胖瘦等特征。通常用来描述人的整体体态。
“Shēn cái” shì zhǐ yī gè rén shēn tǐ de wài xíng hé lún kuò, bǐ rú gāo ǎi pàng shòu děng tè zhēng. Tōng cháng yòng lái miáo shù rén de zhěng tǐ tǐ tài.
“Figure” refers to the shape and outline of a person's body, such as tall, short, fat, thin and other characteristics. It is commonly used to describe a person's overall body posture.
Context note
在中文里，可以说一个人“身材好”或“身材高大”。注意不要用这个词来评论别人的外表，除非是礼貌地赞美。对孩子来说，可以形容自己喜欢的卡通角色或运动员的身材。
Zài zhōng wén lǐ, kě yǐ shuō yī gè rén “shēn cái hǎo” huò “shēn cái gāo dà”. Zhù yì bù yào yòng zhè gè cí lái píng lùn bié rén de wài biǎo, chú fēi shì lǐ mào de zàn měi. Duì hái zi lái shuō, kě yǐ xíng róng zì jǐ xǐ huān de kǎ tōng jiǎo sè huò yùn dòng yuán de shēn cái.
In Chinese, you can say someone has a 'good figure' or 'tall figure'. Be careful not to use this word to comment on others' appearance unless it is a polite compliment. For children, they can describe the figure of their favorite cartoon characters or athletes.
5 examples
爸爸的身材很高大。
bà ba de shēn cái hěn gāo dà。
Dad's figure is very tall and big.
运动员的身材都很健康。
yùn dòng yuán de shēn cái dōu hěn jiàn kāng。
Athletes' figures are all very healthy.
我喜欢画画，总爱画人物的身材。
wǒ xǐ huan huà huà， zǒng ài huà rén wù de shēn cái。
I like drawing, and I always love to draw the figures of characters.
姐姐跳舞练了很久，身材很匀称。
jiě jie tiào wǔ liàn le hěn jiǔ， shēn cái hěn yún chèn。
My sister has been dancing for a long time, and her figure is very well-proportioned.
这只熊猫的身材圆滚滚的，真可爱。
zhè zhī xióng māo de shēn cái yuán gǔn gǔn de， zhēn kě ài。
This panda's figure is round and chubby, so cute.
5 mini stories
小明在画一个超级英雄。他给英雄画了强壮的英雄身材。
xiǎo míng zài huà yí gè chāo jí yīng xióng。 tā gěi yīng xióng huà le qiáng zhuàng de yīng xióng shēn cái。
Xiao Ming is drawing a superhero. He drew a strong superhero figure.
红袋鼠的身材很有特点，后腿特别长。它的身材帮助它跳得很远。
hóng dài shǔ de shēn cái hěn yǒu tè diǎn， hòu tuǐ tè bié cháng。 tā de shēn cái bāng zhù tā tiào dé hěn yuǎn。
The red kangaroo's figure is very distinctive, with especially long hind legs. Its figure helps it jump very far.
妈妈带我去游泳，她说游泳可以让我身材更棒。我每天都会练习游泳。
mā ma dài wǒ qù yóu yǒng， tā shuō yóu yǒng kě yǐ ràng wǒ shēn cái gèng bàng。 wǒ měi tiān dōu huì liàn xí yóu yǒng。
Mom took me swimming, she said swimming can make my figure better. I practice swimming every day.
故事里的小精灵身材很小，可以躲进花心里。小精灵的身材让它非常灵活。
gù shì lǐ de xiǎo jīng líng shēn cái hěn xiǎo， kě yǐ duǒ jìn huā xīn lǐ。 xiǎo jīng líng de shēn cái ràng tā fēi cháng líng huó。
The little elf in the story has a very small figure, so it can hide inside a flower. The elf's figure makes it very agile.
大树的身材很高，像一把大伞。我喜欢在大树的身材下面乘凉。
dà shù de shēn cái hěn gāo， xiàng yì bǎ dà sǎn。 wǒ xǐ huan zài dà shù de shēn cái xià miàn chéng liáng。
The tree's figure is very tall, like a big umbrella. I like to cool off under the tree's figure.