以身作则 (yǐ shēn zuò zé)

Character breakdown

• 以 (yǐ) · 4 strokes

  Depicts a person (人) carrying something.

• 身 (shēn) · 7 strokes

  Pictograph of a person with a protruding midsection.

• 作 (zuō) · 7 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 乍 represents the sound.

• 则 (zé) · 6 strokes

  Simplified form of 則. Depicts carving inscriptions on bronzeware (鼎) with a knife (刂). Based on the original meaning "law". In ancient China, some legal writings were inscribed on bronzeware.

Usage

老师应该以身作则。

to set an example (idiom); to serve as a model

lǎo shī yīng gāi yǐ shēn zuò zé 。