处女作 (chǔ nǚ zuò) — debut work; first published piece (of a writer, artist, director, etc.)

Definition

A noun meaning 'debut work' — the very first published piece by a writer, artist, or director. It is a fixed literary term, not a literal reference to virginity; you will mostly meet it in reviews and artist profiles.

noun
debut workfirst published piece (of a writer, artist, director, etc.)
Measure word · 部

Examples

  • 处女作。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō shì tā de chǔ nǚ zuò.
    This novel is his debut work.
  • 处女作。
    Tā de chǔ nǚ zuò huò dé le hěn gāo de píng jià.
    Her debut work received very high praise.
  • 处女作。
    Tā de chǔ nǚ zuò ràng tā yí xià zi chū míng le.
    His debut work made him famous overnight.

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.

处女maiden
处chùunmarried女nǚwoman
偏正Modifier + head
作zuòwork

处女作 joins 处女 maiden and 作 work, naming a first published work.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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

女 shows a woman with folded arms, kneeling or standing. In the modern form the figure faces right, and the small enclosed part is what is left of one arm.

Open 女 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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