noun HSK 4
Traditional 物體
object · body · physical thing

Meaning

物体 refers to any physical object or material thing that occupies space. It's a general scientific or formal term used to describe tangible items, especially in physics, science, and technical contexts. The word combines 物 (thing/matter) and 体 (body/form) to create the meaning of a concrete, physical entity.

Usage

物体 is commonly used in scientific, academic, and formal contexts rather than everyday conversation. In casual speech, people often use simpler words like 东西 (thing) instead. It's particularly frequent in physics discussions when referring to objects and their properties, motion, or interactions.

Examples

  1. 01
    这个物体的质量是五公斤。
    Zhè ge de zhì liàng shì gōng jīn.
    The mass of this object is five kilograms.
  2. 02
    科学家发现了一个不明物体正在接近地球。
    xué jiā xiàn le ge míng zhèng zài jiē jìn qiú.
    Scientists discovered an unidentified object approaching Earth.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一个物体
  • jiàn几件物体

Common collocations

  • 移动的物体
    dòng de
    moving object
  • 固体物体
    solid object
  • 物体表面
    biǎo miàn
    surface of an object
  • 未知物体
    wèi zhī
    unidentified object

Antonyms

Origin

Both characters have ancient origins. 物 originally depicted a cow with colorful markings, representing variety and things in general. 体 comes from a form meaning 'human body.' Together they create a compound meaning 'physical body/form of a thing.'

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