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老妇 (lǎo fù) — old woman

Definition

A straightforward noun for 'old woman' (elderly female, typically elderly). More literary and respectful than the colloquial 老太太, which is the everyday spoken term for an older woman.

noun
old woman
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 老妇。
    Nà wèi lǎo fù zài gōng yuán lǐ sàn bù.
    That old woman is taking a walk in the park.
  • 老妇。
    lǎo fù Měi tiān zǎo chén dōu yào qù cài shì chǎng mǎi cài.
    The old woman goes to the vegetable market every morning to buy groceries.
  • 老妇。
    Yí wèi shàn liáng de lǎo fù bāng zhù le mí lù de xiǎo hái.
    A kind old woman helped the lost child.

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.

老lǎoold
妇fùwoman

老 describes age, and 妇 is a woman, giving old woman.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

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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