身份 vs. 身分

[82riceballs]

what's the difference between 身份 and. 身分? they're pronounced the same and look almost exactly the same. Help!

[skylee]

Both of them mean identity / status of a person. There is no difference in meaning afaik.

Some people argue that 分 is correct, others think that 份 is correct. There are also some other considerations. As we cannot decide which is more correct, they co-exist and both of them are ok IMO.

In Taiwan, the identity card is 身分證. In HK, it is 身份證. On the mainland, it is 身份证.

Other considerations include the cost to change from one version to another, and the public's objection.

A relevant article -> 身份证岂可一错再错？

本来表明“身份”，汉语一向习用“身分”一词。不料第一代身份证一颁发，数亿人立即拥有了“身份”，谁还好意思坚持自家“身分”？词典也只好两词并列，以示不偏不倚。按照语言学家、北大教授王力先生意见，“身分”比“身份”合理。还有文章直言不讳，“身份”之“份”，其实就是一个错字，当初不知是哪位高明随手写就，贻害国人。汉字改革总体趋势是去繁就简，哪有趋简就繁的？所以“身份”一词不是约定俗成，而是官定民成，不得不成。

２００２ 年国家公布《第一批异形词整理表》，没有规范“身份”“身分”哪个为推荐词形，不是不想规范，实在是另有隐情。整理别的异形词，依照通用性、理据性、系统性三个原则就够了，对待“身份”和“身分”，还得考虑一个纠错成本问题。如果确认“身分”为推荐词形，国家权威部门颁发证件总不能使用不规范异形词，现有“身份证”都得更换。假如更换一张“身份证”需要 ２０ 元，换上 １０ 亿张，就得 ２００ 亿元。文字账不敌经济账，“身份”、“身分”不和平也得长期共处下去。

Also, this is from a Commercial Press dictionary ->

[82riceballs]

thanks, skylee!

[mandel1luke]

I'm skeptical. At least the HK & China pronounciation is correct. 身份 is shenfen4, not shenfen1 (as in Taiwan).

[82riceballs]

in taiwan they pronounce it shen1fen4. i'm taiwanese american so i know that people there don't pronounce it shen1fen1. in the textbooks where they use bopomofo, I see the 4th tone, which is what brought me to ask my question-

what's the difference between 身份 and. 身分? they're pronounced the same and look almost exactly the same.

[mandel1luke]

In books, maybe yes, but on the streets they pronounced shenfen1

maybe I should correct myself - they say shenfen1zheng4 and shenfen4

身分 btw is used in Japan.

[82riceballs]

maybe I should correct myself - they say shenfen1zheng4 and shenfen4

true- i was just abt to say that before i read this.

身分 btw is used in Japan.

cool!