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大姐 (dà jiě) — eldest sister; (polite address for a woman about one's own age)

Definition

A kin term (eldest sister) AND a polite way to address a woman around your own age, especially in service contexts (大姐，麻烦您...). The 姐 also implies respect and warmth, not just age.

noun
eldest sister(polite address for a woman about one's own age)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 大姐。
    Wǒ dà jiě zhù zài běi jīng.
    My eldest sister lives in Beijing.
  • 大姐，。
    dà jiě, Nín xiān qǐng.
    Elder sister, please go first.
  • 大姐。
    Zhè wèi dà jiě rén hěn hǎo.
    This elder sister is a very nice person.

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.

大dàeldest/senior
姐jiěsister

大 marks seniority and 姐 means sister, so it refers to the eldest sister or an older woman addressed politely.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě姐jiě
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 女 part points to a woman, and 且 is a sound component.

Open 姐 →
Appears in
Family & KinshipIdentity & Titles

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