身影 shēnyǐng silhouette
silhouette; figure
How to remember 身影: 身 body + 影 shadows = silhouette.
Characters
How it is used
- The figure/silhouette of a person, especially seen at a distance or in memory - 我看见了他熟悉的身影 (wǒ kànjiàn le tā shúxī de shēnyǐng) I spotted his familiar figure.
- Often carries emotion or presence: 忙碌的身影 a busy figure; 到处都有志愿者的身影 volunteers are seen everywhere.
- Evokes a person glimpsed as a shape, more evocative than the neutral 样子 or 影子 (shadow).