泼妇 (pō fù) — shrew (derogatory term for a fierce or bad‑temp…

Definition

A derogatory noun for a woman who is loud, fierce, and bad-tempered — used as an insult, not a neutral label. Translates as 'shrew' or 'vixen'.

noun

shrew (derogatory term for a fierce or bad‑tempered woman)

泼妇，。
Nà ge pō fù yòu zài jiē shàng mà rén, lín jū men dōu shòu bù liǎo le.
That shrew is yelling at people in the street again; all the neighbors can't stand it.
泼妇，。
Tā fā qǐ pí qi lái jiǎn zhí xiàng gè pō fù, wán quán bù jiǎng dào lǐ.
When she loses her temper, she's just like a shrew, completely unreasonable.
泼妇。
Xiǎo shuō lǐ nà ge pō fù de jué sè bèi xiě dé hěn shēng dòng.
The shrew character in the novel was vividly written.

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.

'泼' suggests fierce or unruly, and '妇' names a woman, so the word means a shrew.

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 潑; 泼 is its simplified writing.

氵發潑

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵氵shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

發

發fā潑pō

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 潑 uses 氵 for water and 發 to suggest the pronunciation; the simplified 泼 is a later shorthand.

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.

女帚婦

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.

Appears in