切身

• Pinyin: qiè shēn
• Hanzi breakdown: 切 = 七 + 刀 (knife close to the body — pressing, urgent, relevant); 身 = 身 (body — oneself)

Meaning

Personal; directly affecting oneself; felt or experienced firsthand rather than in the abstract.

Used to emphasise that something concerns or impacts the person directly — their own interests, experience, or feelings. Common in formal and semi-formal writing. Typical collocations: 切身利益 (personal/vital interests), 切身体会 (personal experience/firsthand understanding), 切身感受 (personal feelings). Stronger and more personal than 自身 (oneself).

Examples

1. 保护劳动者的切身权益是政府制定劳动法规的首要出发点。 Protecting workers’ vital rights and interests is the government’s primary starting point in drafting labor laws and regulations.
2. 只有亲身参与过救援工作，才能真正体会到灾区群众的切身痛苦。 Only by taking part in rescue work firsthand can you truly understand the deep suffering of people in the disaster zone.
3. 这项政策直接关系到每一位市民的切身利益，公众的意见必须受到充分重视。 This policy directly affects every resident’s personal interests, so the public’s opinions must be fully taken into account.

Usage Guide

Context: law, policy, social affairs

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 此次调整医保报销比例直接影响数百万参保人员的切身利益，相关部门已承诺在政策落地前广泛征求公众意见并做好充分解释工作。(The adjustment to the medical insurance reimbursement ratio directly affects the personal interests of millions of insured individuals; the relevant authorities have promised to widely solicit public opinion and provide thorough explanations before the policy takes effect.)
• 她在演讲中分享了自己从贫困中奋斗而出的切身经历，深深打动了在场的每一位听众，赢得了长时间的掌声。(In her speech she shared her firsthand experience of fighting her way out of poverty, deeply moving every audience member present and earning sustained applause.)

Don't Say

• 这与我切身无关 — 切身 already means 'personally relevant'; saying 切身无关 (personally unrelated) is contradictory in usage. Say 这与我无关 (this has nothing to do with me) or 这不涉及我的利益 (this doesn't affect my interests)

Origin & History

切 (close/pressing — 切近, closely relevant) + 身 (body/self) — pressing upon one's own self

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal