随身

suí shēn · HSK 7

to on one's person

🎒 随身 = 随 follow + 身 body: it follows your body, so it's carried on you

随 means follow/go-along-with and 身 means body. Whatever 随身 describes stays attached to your body as you move, hence to carry on one's person or take with you.

随 — 辶 (walk) + 阝 (mound) + 有 phonetic
随 combines the walk radical 辶 with a phonetic component derived from 隋. The original sense is 'to follow along a path,' from the walking radical suggesting movement after someone. Over time it broadened to mean 'follow,' 'accompany,' or 'comply with.'

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.

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