TongTong
Sign in

表妹 (biǎo mèi) — younger female cousin (on mother's side or father's sister's side, with a different surname from the speaker)

Definition

Younger female cousin on the mother's side or father's sister's side (different surname from you). 姐 is the older one; 妹 marks the younger — separate words, not a prefix.

noun
younger female cousin (on mother's side or father's sister's side, with a different surname from the speaker)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 表妹，。
    Zhè shì wǒ biǎo mèi, tā jīn nián shí suì.
    This is my younger cousin; she is ten years old this year.
  • 表妹，。
    Wǒ biǎo mèi xǐ huan huà huà, tā huà dé hěn hǎo.
    My younger cousin likes to draw, and she draws very well.
  • 表妹，。
    Wǒ biǎo mèi bǐ wǒ xiǎo sān suì, wǒ men cháng yì qǐ wán.
    My younger cousin is three years younger than me; we often play together.

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.

表biǎodifferent-surname cousin
妹mèiyounger sister

表 marks the different-surname cousin line, while 妹 gives a younger sister.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

Open 表 →

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
女女nǚfemale, woman
Sound part声符shēngfú
未
未wèi妹mèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

妹 combines 女, a woman, with 未, which gives the sound.

Open 妹 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.