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大婶 (dà shěn) — (noun) term of address for a middle-aged or older woman, similar to 'auntie' or 'ma'am'

Definition

大婶 is a colloquial address for a middle-aged or older woman, roughly one's mother's age — warmer and more familiar than 阿姨 (general term for 'auntie'), and only used for strangers in casual settings.

noun
term of address for a middle-aged or older woman, similar to 'auntie' or 'ma'am'
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 大婶，？
    dà shěn, Qǐng wèn zhè tiáo lù zǒu dào tóu shì gōng yuán ma?
    Auntie, excuse me, does this road lead to the park at the end?
  • 大婶。
    Lóu xià mài shuǐ guǒ de dà shěn zǒng shì hěn rè qíng.
    The auntie selling fruit downstairs is always very warm.
  • 大婶，，。
    dà shěn, Nín màn zǒu, yǒu kòng cháng lái zuò zuò.
    Auntie, take care, feel free to come visit anytime.

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.

大dàelder
婶shěnaunt

大 suggests elder or respectful, and 婶 denotes an aunt.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 嬸; 婶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
審
審shěn嬸shěn
Same sound today

For the traditional form 嬸, the left part 女 means woman, and the right part 審 gives the sound.

Open 婶 →
Appears in
Identity & Titles

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