窑子 (yáo zǐ) — brothel (historical/dialectal, often derogatory)

Definition

窑子 (yáozi) is a coarse, old-fashioned slang word for a brothel — chiefly used in early-20th-century writing and northern dialect, and often derogatory today. Prefer the neutral term 妓院.

noun
brothel (historical/dialectal, often derogatory)
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 窑子。
    Zhè ge yáo zǐ zài mín guó shí qī hěn yǒu míng.
    This brothel was famous during the Republic of China period.
  • 窑子。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ miáo xiě le yí gè hēi àn de yáo zǐ.
    The novel depicts a dark brothel.
  • 窑子。
    Tā nián qīng shí céng qù guò nà zhǒng yáo zǐ.
    When he was young, he had been to that kind of brothel.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

窑yáobrothel (slang)
子zǐcommon place-name part

窑子 names a brothel: 窑 has the old slang sense of a place for prostitutes, and 子 gives it a colloquial place-name feel.

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 窯; 窑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave; hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
羔
羔gāo窯yáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 窯 has 穴 (hole) for a hole used to fire pottery, and 羔 for the sound. The simplified 窑 is a later shorthand.

Open 窑 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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