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妇人 (fù rén) — (formal/literary) married woman; woman (in classical or formal contexts); (traditional) wife of a scholar

Definition

A formal or literary word for 'woman / married woman', used mostly in classical or historical writing. Compared to everyday 女人, 妇人 sounds more old-fashioned and refers specifically to a married woman.

noun
(formal/literary) married womanwoman (in classical or formal contexts)(traditional) wife of a scholar
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 妇人。
    Zhè wèi fù rén chuān zhuó gǔ dài de fú shì.
    This woman is wearing ancient clothing.
  • ，妇人。
    Zài gǔ dài shè huì zhōng, fù rén de dì wèi cháng cháng shòu dào xiàn zhì.
    In ancient society, the status of married women was often restricted.
  • ，妇人。
    Tā qǔ le yí wèi xué zhě de nǚ ér, nà wèi fù rén fēi cháng xián huì.
    He married a scholar's daughter, and that woman is very virtuous.

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.

妇fùwoman
人rénperson

妇 refers to a woman and 人 to person, giving a woman.

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 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 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
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