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娘子 (niáng zǐ) — (historical/literary) polite term of address for a young woman; (regional/dialectal) term for one's wife; also used in period dramas and folk songs

Definition

Literary/classical term: a polite address for a young woman, and a husband-to-husband term for one's wife in period dramas and folk songs. Avoid in modern speech — say 妻子 instead.

noun
(historical/literary) polite term of address for a young woman(regional/dialectal) term for one's wifealso used in period dramas and folk songs
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 娘子。
    Tā zài gǔ zhuāng jù lǐ chēng zì jǐ de qī zi wèi niáng zǐ.
    In a period drama, he calls his wife 'niangzi'.
  • ，娘子。
    Gǔ dài xiǎo shuō zhōng, gōng zǐ cháng yòng niáng zǐ lái chēng hu xīn yí de gū niang.
    In classical novels, young masters often used 'niangzi' to address the girl they admired.
  • 娘子。
    Zhè shǒu mín yáo shì chàng gěi tā de niáng zǐ de.
    This folk song is sung for his 'niangzi' (his beloved 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.

娘niángwoman
子zǐfamiliar feel

娘 points to a woman or mother, while 子 adds a familiar feel to the term for a young woman or wife.

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
良
良liáng娘niáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

娘 is built from 女 (woman) and 良, which supplies the sound.

Open 娘 →

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
Family & KinshipIdentity & Titles

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