体操

The Chinese word 体操 (tǐcǎo) for "gymnastics" is composed of two characters: 体 (tǐ), meaning "body", and 操 (cǎo), meaning "exercise" or "drill". The term 体操 was first used in China in the late 19th century to refer to Western-style gymnastics, which were introduced to the country by missionaries and foreign educators. Prior to this, the Chinese had their own traditional forms of physical exercise, such as martial arts and qigong, but these were not referred to as 体操.The character 体 (tǐ) is composed of two parts: the radical 肉 (ròu), meaning "flesh" or "body", and the phonetic component 頁 (yè), which is used to indicate the pronunciation of the character. The character 操 (cǎo) is composed of two parts: the radical 手 (shǒu), meaning "hand", and the phonetic component 曹 (cáo), which is used to indicate the pronunciation of the character.The combination of the characters 体 and 操 in the word 体操 (tǐcǎo) thus conveys the meaning of "body exercise" or "physical training". The term is now used in China to refer to both Western-style gymnastics and traditional Chinese forms of physical exercise.