姐 (jiě) — elder sister; (colloquial) young woman (as a term of address or reference)
Definition
Family term for one's older sister, and also a casual way for a young woman to address a female peer or slightly older stranger. In the family sense, contrasts with 哥哥 for males of the same generation.
noun
elder sister(colloquial) young woman (as a term of address or reference)
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 姐。Wǒ jiě bǐ wǒ dà liǎng suì.My elder sister is two years older than me.
- ，？Zhè wèi jiě jiě, qǐng wèn tú shū guǎn zěn me zǒu?Miss, could you tell me how to get to the library?
- ，。Tā shì wǒ biǎo jiě, cóng xiǎo yì qǐ zhǎng dà.She is my cousin (elder sister on mother's side); we grew up together.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
The 女 part points to a woman, and 且 is a sound component.
Appears in
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