Definition
抽身 is a figurative expression meaning 'to extricate oneself' or 'to get away from a situation, especially work or obligations'. It is a separable verb (离合词): the morphemes 抽 and 身 can be split to insert time complements or negation, as in 抽不出身 (can't get away) or 抽开身 (manage to free oneself). The verb 抽 itself carries the idea of 'pulling out', and 身 means 'body', so the compound literally suggests 'pulling one's body away'.
v.o.
to extricate oneself (from a situation)to get away (from work/responsibility)
Examples
- ，。Tā tài máng le, yìzhí chōu bù chū shēn lái.He's too busy; he's never been able to get away.
- 。Wǒ xiǎng qǐngjià chōu shēn qù cānjiā háizi de bìyè diǎnlǐ.I want to take leave and get away to attend my child's graduation ceremony.
- ，。Zhège xiàngmù jiéshù hòu, tā zhōngyú kěyǐ chōu shēn xiūxi le.After this project ended, he could finally get away and rest.
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