TongTong
Sign in

妓女 (jì nǚ) — prostitute

Definition

noun
prostitute
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 妓女，。
    Tā céng jīng shì yí gè jì nǚ, dàn xiàn zài yǒu le xīn de shēng huó.
    She was once a prostitute, but now she has a new life.
  • 妓女。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le jiù shè huì jì nǚ de bēi cǎn shēng huó.
    This novel depicts the miserable lives of prostitutes in old society.
  • 妓女。
    Fǎ lǜ yīng gāi bǎo hù jì nǚ de ān quán hé quán lì.
    The law should protect the safety and rights of prostitutes.

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.

妓jìprostitute
女nǚwoman

妓 points to prostitution and 女 to woman, so it means a female prostitute.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
支
支zhī妓jì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 妓 combines 女, a woman, with 支, a part used for the sound.

Open 妓 →

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 →
Appears in
Professions & Jobs3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.