出身
chūshēn · HSK 7
family background
🌳👤 出 = exit + 身 = body — where your body came out from, your origins
Your 出身 is literally where you 'came out' (出) as a person (身). It points to the family, class, or career background you emerged from — your roots and prior experience.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
身 — pictograph of a pregnant body
身 is a pictograph originally depicting a person with a swollen belly, representing a pregnant woman in profile. Over time the meaning broadened from 'pregnancy' or 'torso' to refer to the body in general, and by extension oneself or one's person.