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
Min Nan (POJ): hòa-sin

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): /xwä⁵¹ ʂən⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: faa³ san¹
  - Yale: fa sān
  - Cantonese Pinyin: faa³ san¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: fa³ sen¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /faː³³ sɐn⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fa-sṳ̂n
  - Hakka Romanization System: fa siin´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fa⁴ sin¹
  - Sinological IPA: /fa⁵⁵ sɨn²⁴/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hòa-sin
  - Tâi-lô: huà-sin
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hoarsyn
  - IPA (Xiamen): /hua²¹⁻⁵³ ɕin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hua⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ ɕin³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hua²¹⁻⁵³ ɕin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /hua¹¹⁻⁵³ ɕin⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hua²¹⁻⁴¹ ɕin⁴⁴/

Middle Chinese: /hˠua^H ɕiɪn/

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
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/
Bernard 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 hˠua^H ɕiɪn, “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

On’yomi: Goon

(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
- Kurumada, Masami, “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.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	化身し	けしんし	keshin shi
Continuative (連用形)	化身し	けしんし	keshin shi
Terminal (終止形)	化身する	けしんする	keshin suru
Attributive (連体形)	化身する	けしんする	keshin suru
Hypothetical (仮定形)	化身すれ	けしんすれ	keshin sure
Imperative (命令形)	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

“化身”, in 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”)‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1984
2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
WWWJDIC, relevant entry here

Korean

Hanja in this term
化	身

Noun

化身 • (hwasin) (hangeul 화신)

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

Vietnamese

Hán tự in this term
化	身

Noun

化身

chữ Hán form of hoá thân (“embodiment”).

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

[DJR-2] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ-3] 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

[DJS-4] 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[NHK-5] 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

[SMK5-6] 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[7] WWWJDIC, relevant entry here