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身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石
身非木石

身非木石 — “To be capable of feeling emotions”

身非木石 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be capable of feeling emotions”. Not to be heartless or unfeeling. Literally, “One's body is not made of wood or stone”.

Frequency

身非木石 Pronunciation and Pinyin

身非木石 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
身
shēn7body, person, life, self
非
fēi8not, non-, wrong
木
mù4tree, wood, wooden, dull, numb
石
shí5Rock, stone

Example Sentence with 身非木石

他虽然表面上沉默寡言,但身非木石,内心对周围的一切都充满感受。
Although he appears quiet, he is not made of wood or stone; his heart is full of feelings for everything around him.

Origin and Story of 身非木石

During the Western Han Dynasty, the renowned historian Sima Qian interceded for General Li Ling after Li Ling's defeat and forced surrender to the Xiongnu.

This led Sima Qian to suffer castration and imprisonment.

Faced with such a profound humiliation, he had no choice but to write to his friend Ren An to confide in him about his misfortune, saying: 'My body is not made of wood or stone; I am alone with jailers, deeply confined in prison. To whom can I pour out my heart?'

Idioms Related to 身非木石

Synonyms of 身非木石

  • rén人fēi非mù木shí石People are not made of wood or stone

More idioms starting with 身

  • shēn身bù不yóu由zhǔ主beyond one's control
  • shēn身bù不yóu由jǐ己beyond one's control
  • shēn身bù不yù遇shí时born at an unfortunate time
  • shēn身lín临qí其jìng境To experience something firsthand or immersively
  • shēn身jià价bèi倍zēng增greatly enhance one's personal worth
  • shēn身jià价bǎi百bèi倍one's social status or value rises significantly
  • shēn身tǐ体lì力xíng行practice what you preach
  • shēn身tǐ体fà发fū肤one's entire physical self
  • shēn身zuò做shēn身dāng当take full responsibility for one's actions
  • shēn身xiān先shì士zhòng众lead by example
  • shēn身xiān先shì士zú卒lead by example
  • shēn身xiān先zhāo朝lù露pass away swiftly like morning dew

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Questions about 身非木石

What does 身非木石 mean?

身非木石 (shēn fēi mù shí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be capable of feeling emotions”.

How do you pronounce 身非木石?

身非木石 is pronounced shēn fēi mù shí in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 身非木石 literally mean?

Literally, 身非木石 means “One's body is not made of wood or stone”. It is used to mean “to be capable of feeling emotions”.

Where does 身非木石 come from?

身非木石 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 身非木石?

指自身并不是毫无感情的人。

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