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女神 (nǚ shén) — goddess (female deity in mythology); (figurative) goddess; ideal or admired woman (often in online/fandom contexts)

Definition

Literally 'female deity' (e.g. 月亮女神 moon goddess), but in modern online and fandom talk it means the 'goddess' — an idealized woman men admire or idolize.

noun
goddess (female deity in mythology)(figurative) goddessideal or admired woman (often in online/fandom contexts)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 女神，女神。
    Xǔ duō gǔ dài shén huà zhōng dū yǒu nǚ shén, bǐ rú yuè liang nǚ shén.
    Many ancient myths have goddesses, like the moon goddess.
  • 女神。
    Tā shì hěn duō nán shēng xīn mù zhōng de nǚ shén.
    She is the goddess in the hearts of many guys.
  • 女神。
    Fěn sī men dōu bǎ tā dàng zuò nǚ shén yí yàng chóng bài.
    Fans worship her like a goddess.

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.

女nǚfemale
神shéngod

女神 joins 女 (female) and 神 (god) to mean a female deity.

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
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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