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妻子 (qī zi) — wife

Definition

妻子 (qīzi) is the neutral, standard word for 'wife,' suitable in writing and formal speech. 老婆 is the everyday colloquial term; 太太 is polite and also used as 'Mrs.'

noun
wife
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 妻子。
    qī zi Shì lǎo shī.
    My wife is a teacher.
  • 妻子。
    Wǒ rèn shi tā de qī zi.
    I know his wife.
  • 妻子。
    Tā shì wǒ péng you de qī zi.
    She is my friend's wife.

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.

妻qīwife
子zǐ

‘妻’ gives the idea of wife, and ‘子’ makes the familiar everyday word.

Characters in this word

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

  • 肀肀yùhand grabbing hair
  • 女女nǚwoman

妻 combines 肀, a hand grabbing hair, with 女, a woman, showing a man grabbing a woman's hair to show ownership.

Open 妻 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2HSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsFamily & KinshipRomance & Marriage2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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