巧妇 (qiǎo fù) — a capable housewife; a good homemaker

Definition

Literary term for a clever, capable housewife. Almost always appears in the set phrase 巧妇难为无米之炊 — 'even the best cook can't make a meal without rice' — meaning talent is useless without the right resources.

noun
a capable housewifea good homemaker
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 巧妇，。
    Tā zhēn shì gè qiǎo fù, yí gè rén jiù bǎ quán jiā zhào gù dé fēi cháng hǎo.
    She is really a capable housewife; she takes care of the whole family very well all by herself.
  • 巧妇，。
    qiǎo fù Nán wéi wú mǐ zhī chuī, méi yǒu zī jīn xiàng mù jiù zuò bù qǐ lái.
    Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice — without funding, the project can't get off the ground.
  • 巧妇，。
    Lín jū men dōu kuā tā shì gè qiǎo fù, jiā lǐ zǒng shì gān gān jìng jìng de.
    The neighbors all praise her as a good homemaker; her home is always spotless.

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.

巧qiǎoskillful
妇fùwife

巧 gives the sense of skillful, and 妇 gives the sense of wife or woman, forming a capable homemaker.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
工工gōng
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo巧qiǎo
Same sound today

巧 is made of 工 and 丂; 工 points to its meaning, and 丂 points to its sound.

Open 巧 →

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 婦; 妇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
帚
帚zhǒu婦fù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 婦 pairs 女 (woman) with 帚 (broom), and the Shuowen reads it as a woman holding a broom. The simplified 妇 is a shorthand.

Open 妇 →

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