内人 (nèi rén) — (humble term, dated) my wife

Definition

内人 is a humble, dated way to say 'my wife' when speaking to others — a self-deprecating term showing respect to the listener, unlike 妻子 (neutral) or 老婆 (casual).

noun
(humble term, dated) my wife

Examples

  • 内人，。
    Zhè shì nèi rén zuò de cài, nín cháng cháng.
    This is a dish my wife made; please have a taste.
  • 内人，。
    nèi rén Zuì jìn shēn tǐ bú tài hǎo, zài jiā xiū xi.
    My wife hasn't been feeling well lately and is resting at home.
  • 内人。
    Gǎi tiān wǒ dài nèi rén lái bài fǎng nín.
    I'll bring my wife to visit you another day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

内nèiinside
人rénperson

'内' and '人' mean the person of the household, a humble word for wife.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 入入rùto enter
  • 冂冂jiōnghouse

The shape shows 入 entering into 冂, a house, so it pictures bringing something indoors, giving the sense inside.

Open 内 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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