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长舌妇 (cháng shé fù) — gossip monger (colloquial, derogatory); a woman who talks incessantly

Definition

A derogatory, colloquial label for a woman who gossips. Used as an insult, not a neutral description — stronger and more contemptuous than simply saying someone 爱传闲话.

noun
gossip monger (colloquial, derogatory)a woman who talks incessantly
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 长舌妇，。
    Tā shì gè cháng shé fù, zhěng tiān zài bèi hòu shuō bié rén huài huà.
    She is a gossip monger, always talking behind people's backs.
  • 长舌妇，。
    Bié gēn nà ge cháng shé fù shuō tài duō, tā huì dào chù luàn jiǎng.
    Don't tell that gossipy woman too much; she'll blab it everywhere.
  • 长舌妇，。
    Cūn lǐ rén dōu jiào tā cháng shé fù, yīn wèi tā zǒng ài chuán xián huà.
    The villagers call her a gossip monger because she loves spreading rumors.

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.

长舌long tongue
长chánglong舌shétongue
偏正Modifier + head
妇fùwoman

长舌 evokes a long tongue, and 妇 names a woman who talks too much.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →

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

舌 was drawn as a snake's forked tongue rising from an open mouth.

Open 舌 →

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 →
Appears in
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