物体

• Pinyin: wù tǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 物 = 牛 + 勿 (ox + negation mark — original sense of livestock goods, extended to all things); 体 = 人 + 本 (person + root/base — body, form)

Meaning

Object; physical body; a tangible thing that occupies space and has mass.

Used in scientific, academic, and technical contexts to refer to physical objects in a neutral and precise way. Common in physics, engineering, philosophy, and formal descriptions. Contrasts with 生命体 (living organism) and 抽象概念 (abstract concept).

Examples

1. 物理实验要求学生精确记录每个物体在不同温度条件下的形变程度。 In physics labs, students are required to precisely record how much each object deforms under different temperature conditions.
2. 太空探测器在飞越小行星带时探测到多个体积庞大的未知物体。 While flying past the asteroid belt, the space probe detected several massive unknown objects.
3. 这件雕塑作品巧妙地利用光线折射，使普通物体在展览空间中呈现出截然不同的视觉效果。 This sculpture cleverly uses light refraction, making ordinary objects look completely different within the exhibition space.

Usage Guide

Context: physics, science, engineering, philosophy, formal description

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 根据牛顿第一定律，物体在无外力时会保持静止或匀速直线运动。(According to Newton's First Law, an object will remain at rest or move in uniform straight motion when no external force acts on it.)
• 考古团队在遗址深层土壤中发掘出几件精美的金属物体，年代可追溯到三千年前的青铜时代晚期。(The archaeological team excavated several exquisite metal objects from deep soil layers at the site, and they can be traced back to the late Bronze Age three thousand years ago.)

Don't Say

• 物体 for living beings — use 生物 or 生命体; 物体 refers specifically to inanimate physical objects unless used in a deliberately abstract or philosophical context

Origin & History

物 (thing, material) + 体 (body, form, structure) — a bodily thing; a physical entity

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal