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女性化 (nǚ xìng huā) — feminization (the process or result of making something more feminine in nature or appearance)

Definition

Refers to the process or result of something (a design, field, or behavior) becoming more feminine in nature, appearance, or demographics. Often used critically or analytically to describe social or cultural trends.

noun
feminization (the process or result of making something more feminine in nature or appearance)

Examples

  • 女性化。
    Zhè zhǒng shè jì yǒu míng xiǎn de nǚ xìng huā qīng xiàng.
    This design has a clear tendency toward feminization.
  • 女性化。
    Shè huì de nǚ xìng huā qū shì yǐn qǐ le guǎng fàn tǎo lùn.
    The trend of feminization in society has sparked widespread discussion.
  • 女性化。
    Tā men pī píng le háng yè de nǚ xìng huā xiàn xiàng.
    They criticized the feminization phenomenon in the industry.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

女性female
女nǚfemale性xìngsex
偏正Modifier + head
化huàbecome

“女性” means female, and “化” adds the sense of becoming or being made more feminine, giving feminization.

Characters in this word

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

女 shows a woman with folded arms, kneeling or standing. In the modern form the figure faces right, and the small enclosed part is what is left of one arm.

Open 女 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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