give oneself to; devote oneself to; submit to
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to give oneself to; to devote one's body and heart to a cause or person (often reluctantly or out of necessity)
literaryTypically used in literary contexts to describe dedicating oneself to serving someone, often with connotations of female submission or lack of choice. The set phrase 委身事人 is commonly used.
Tā她
wèi为
le了
jiù救
fù父
qīn亲
，
bù不
dé得
bù不
wěi委
shēn身
yú于
háo豪
mén门
。
To save her father, she had to give herself to a wealthy family.
Tā他
nìng宁
yuàn愿
sǐ死
yě也
bù不
yuàn愿
yì意
wěi委
shēn身
shì事
dí敌
。
He would rather die than serve the enemy.
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Xǔ许
duō多
wén文
rén人
nìng宁
yuàn愿
guī归
yǐn隐
，
yě也
bù不
yuàn愿
wěi委
shēn身
shì事
rén人
。
Many scholars would rather live in seclusion than give themselves to serve others.
Zài在
nà那
gè个
shí时
dài代
，
xǔ许
duō多
nǚ女
zǐ子
bèi被
pò迫
wěi委
shēn身
tā他
rén人
。
In that era, many women were forced to give themselves to others.