丧偶 (sàng ǒu) — to lose one's spouse (by death); to be widowed

Definition

丧偶 means to lose one's spouse by death, leaving the person widowed. Note the tone: 丧 is pronounced sàng here (the same 丧 as in 丧事, funeral).

verb
to lose one's spouse (by death)to be widowed

Examples

  • 丧偶，。
    Tā wǔ nián qián sàng ǒu, zhī hòu yì zhí yí gè rén shēng huó.
    He lost his spouse five years ago and has been living alone ever since.
  • 丧偶，。
    Tā sàng ǒu yǐ hòu, jiù bǎ quán bù jīng lì fàng zài le gōng zuò shàng.
    After she was widowed, she put all her energy into her work.
  • ，。
    Wǒ zǔ mǔ sān shí duō suì jiù sàng le ǒu, yí gè rén bǎ jǐ gè hái zi lā chě dà.
    My grandmother became a widow in her thirties and raised several children alone.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

丧sànglose
偶ǒuspouse

丧 means lose and 偶 means spouse, together denoting loss of one's spouse.

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 喪; 丧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
㗊㗊㗊many mouths
Sound part声符shēngfú
桑
桑sāng喪sàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 喪 originally paired 桑 (mulberry tree) with 㗊 (many mouths). The simplified 丧 is the modern form, deriving from a form that used 哭 (cry) and 亡 (die).

Open 丧 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú偶ǒu
Same sound today

偶 pairs 亻 (person) with 禺 for the sound. The evidence describes it as a statue of a person, an idol.

Open 偶 →

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