noun
lifeless body; corpse
Literary or formal term for a dead body, emphasizing the physical shell without soul.
戦場には形骸が散乱していた。
Lifeless bodies were scattered across the battlefield.
火災の後、ビルの形骸だけが残った。
After the fire, only the skeleton of the building remained.
noun
mere shell; empty form; dead letter
Abstract use for something that retains its outward form but has lost its substance, meaning, or effectiveness. Often used in phrases like 形骸化する (to become a mere shell).
その制度は形骸化して、もはや機能していない。
The system has become a dead letter and no longer functions.
彼の権威は形骸に過ぎなかった。
His authority was nothing but an empty shell.
形だけ is a common expression for something that is only a formality; 形骸 is more formal and often used in written or analytical contexts.
From Middle Chinese 形骸 (heng heaj). The characters 形 (form) and 骸 (remains, corpse) combine to mean the physical form left after the essence is gone.