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儿媳妇 (ér xí fù) — daughter-in-law

Definition

Refers to the wife of one's son — the family-in-law role from the perspective of the husband's parents. Colloquial 口语 word; 儿媳 is the more formal/written variant.

noun
daughter-in-law
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 儿媳妇。
    Tā shì wǒ de ér xí fù.
    She is my daughter-in-law.
  • 儿媳妇。
    ér xí fù Duì tā pó po hěn hǎo.
    The daughter-in-law is very good to her mother-in-law.
  • 儿媳妇。
    Tā men gěi ér xí fù zhǔn bèi le yí tào fáng zi.
    They prepared a house for their daughter-in-law.

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.

儿érson
媳妇wife of son
媳xíson wife妇fùwife
联合Coordinate

儿媳妇 combines 儿, son, with 媳妇, wife of a son, meaning daughter-in-law.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →

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nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
息
息xī媳xí
Same sound today

In 媳, the left part 女 shows a woman, and the right part 息 gives the character its sound.

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
Family & Kinship

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