化身

Chinese

		to make into; to change into; ‑ization to make into; to change into; ‑ization; to ... ‑ize; to transform	body; torso; person body; torso; person; life; status; pregnancy; (a measure word used for clothes) suit
trad. (化身)		化	身
simp. ^#(化身)		化	身

Etymology

Calque of Sanskrit निर्माणकाय (nirmāṇakāya, “body of transformations”). The Tibetan equivalent is སྤྲུལ་སྐུ (sprul sku).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): huàshēn

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄕㄣ
Cantonese (Jyutping): faa³ san¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fa-sṳ̂n
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): hòa-sin

(Teochew, Peng'im): huê³ sing¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: huàshēn
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄕㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: huàshen
  - Wade–Giles: hua⁴-shên¹
  - Yale: hwà-shēn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huahshen
  - Palladius: хуашэнь (xuašɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ä⁵¹ ʂən⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: faa³ san¹
  - Yale: fa sān
  - Cantonese Pinyin: faa³ san¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: fa³ sen¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /faː³³ sɐn⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fa-sṳ̂n
  - Hakka Romanization System: fa siin^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fa⁴ sin¹
  - Sinological IPA: /fa⁵⁵ sɨn²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hòa-sin
  - Tâi-lô: huà-sin
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hoarsyn
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /hua²¹⁻⁵³ sin⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /hua⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ sin³³/
  - Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /hua²¹⁻⁵³ sin⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /hua¹¹⁻⁵³ sin⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /hua²¹⁻⁴¹ sin⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: huê³ sing¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huè sing
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hue²¹³⁻⁵⁵ siŋ³³/

Middle Chinese: xwaeH syin

Rime
Character	化	身
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	曉 (32)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	麻 (99)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	II	III
Fanqie	呼霸切	失人切
Baxter	xwaeH	syin
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/hˠua^H/	/ɕiɪn/
Pan Wuyun	/hʷᵚa^H/	/ɕin/
Shao Rongfen	/xua^H/	/ɕjen/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/hwaɨ^H/	/ɕin/
Li Rong	/xua^H/	/ɕiĕn/
Wang Li	/xwa^H/	/ɕĭĕn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/xwa^H/	/ɕi̯ĕn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	huà	shēn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	faa³	san¹

Noun

化身

(Buddhism) avatar; reincarnation
(figuratively) living embodiment; reincarnation; personification
他是一個現實生活中勇氣的化身。 [MSC, trad.]
他是一个现实生活中勇气的化身。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā shì yī ge xiànshí shēnghuó zhōng yǒngqì de huàshēn. [Pinyin]
He's the living embodiment of bravery.

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (化身):

→ Japanese: 化(け)身(しん) (keshin)
→ Korean: 화신(化身) (hwasin)
→ Vietnamese: hoá thân (化身)

Verb

化身

to transform into (a living embodiment of)
(Xiamen and Zhangzhou Hokkien) to cremate

Synonyms

(to cremate): 火化 (huǒhuà)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
化	身
け Grade: 3	しん Grade: 3
on'yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 化身 (MC xwaeH syin, “transformation + body”), itself a translation of Sanskrit निर्माणकाय (nirmāṇakāya, “body of transformations”).^[1]

Very rarely encountered with the reading kashin,^[2] using the kan'on reading of ka for the 化 character instead of the usual goon reading of ke. Most resources do not include the kashin reading.^[1]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) けしん [kèshíń] (Heiban – [0])^[2]^[5]^[6]
IPA^(key): [ke̞ɕĩɴ]

Very rarely encountered with the reading kashin, which might be considered as proscribed by some.

Noun

化(け)身(しん) • (keshin)

(Buddhism) one of the three trikāya: a physical incarnation of someone, such as Gautama Buddha
(Buddhism, Shinto) a physical manifestation of a Buddha, bodhisattva, kami, or other divine or mystical being
(figuratively) an embodiment or incarnation of something
- Masami Kurumada, “戦(たたか)え！女神(アテナ)のもとでの巻(まき) [Fight! Under Athena]”, in Saint(セイント)星(セイ)矢(ヤ) [Saint Seiya], volume 2 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 30:
  
  木(き)戸(ど)沙(さ)織(おり)が女神(アテナ)の化(け)身(しん)⁉
  Kido Saori ga Atena no keshin⁉
  Saori Kido is an incarnation of Athena⁉
(drama) a ghastly apparition in kabuki or other drama

Verb

化(け)身(しん)する • (keshin suru) suru (stem 化(け)身(しん)し (keshin shi), past 化(け)身(しん)した (keshin shita))

to be incarnated, to be embodied

Conjugation

Conjugation of "化身する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	化身し	けしんし	keshin shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	化身し	けしんし	keshin shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	化身する	けしんする	keshin suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	化身する	けしんする	keshin suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	化身すれ	けしんすれ	keshin sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	化身せよ¹ 化身しろ²	けしんせよ¹ けしんしろ²	keshin seyo¹ keshin shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	化身される	けしんされる	keshin sareru
Causative	化身させる化身さす	けしんさせるけしんさす	keshin saseru keshin sasu
Potential	化身できる	けしんできる	keshin dekiru
Volitional	化身しよう	けしんしよう	keshin shiyō
Negative	化身しない	けしんしない	keshin shinai
Negative continuative	化身せず	けしんせず	keshin sezu
Formal	化身します	けしんします	keshin shimasu
Perfective	化身した	けしんした	keshin shita
Conjunctive	化身して	けしんして	keshin shite
Hypothetical conditional	化身すれば	けしんすれば	keshin sureba

¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 “化身”, in 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1984
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ WWWJDIC, relevant entry here

“化身”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

Korean

Hanja in this term
化	身

Noun

化身 • (hwasin) (hangeul 화신)

hanja form^? of 화신 (“avatar, incarnation, reincarnation”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
化	身

Noun

化身

chữ Hán form of hoá thân (“embodiment”)

[Nipponica-1] 1.0 ^1.1 “化身”, in 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1984

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ-3] Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJS-4] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[NHK-5] 5.0 ^5.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[7] WWWJDIC, relevant entry here

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