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爱妻 (ài qī) — beloved wife

Definition

A literary or affectionate term for one's wife, used more in writing or as a tender address than the neutral 妻子. Often appears in poems, dedications, or a husband speaking to or about his wife with warmth.

noun
beloved wife
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 爱妻。
    Wǒ de ài qī wèi wǒ zuò le yí dùn fēng shèng de wǎn cān.
    My beloved wife made me a hearty dinner.
  • 爱妻。
    Tā cháng cháng zài péng you miàn qián kuā zì jǐ de ài qī.
    He often praises his beloved wife in front of friends.
  • 爱妻，。
    ài qī, Xiè xie nǐ yì zhí yǐ lái de zhī chí.
    Beloved wife, thank you for your constant support.

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.

爱àibeloved
妻qīwife

爱 means beloved, and 妻 is the wife.

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 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →

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

  • 肀肀yùhand grabbing hair
  • 女女nǚwoman

妻 combines 肀, a hand grabbing hair, with 女, a woman, showing a man grabbing a woman's hair to show ownership.

Open 妻 →
Appears in
Family & KinshipRomance & Marriage

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