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妇孺 (fù rú) — women and children

Definition

A formal/written collective noun meaning 'women and children', used to highlight a vulnerable group (e.g. in war, law). Usually appears in set phrases like 妇孺皆知 ('known to everyone'), not in everyday speech.

noun
women and children

Examples

  • 妇孺。
    Zhàn zhēng zhōng zuì shòu shāng hài de shì fù rú.
    Those who suffer the most in war are women and children.
  • 妇孺。
    Zhè jiàn shì zài běn dì yǐ shì fù rú jiē zhī.
    This matter is already known to every woman and child in the local area.
  • 妇孺。
    Fǎ lǜ míng què bǎo hù fù rú de hé fǎ quán yì.
    The law clearly protects the legitimate rights and interests of women and children.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

妇fùwoman
孺rúchild

妇 names women and 孺 names children, so the pair together means women and children.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in
People (General)

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