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娼妇 (chāng fù) — (historical) prostitute, female sex worker; (vulgar insult) bitch, whore

Definition

A literary/historical noun for a female sex worker, now strongly vulgar. In modern use it is almost only an insult — comparable in force to English 'whore' or 'bitch'.

noun
(historical) prostitutefemale sex worker(vulgar insult) bitchwhore
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，娼妇。
    Zài gǔ dài xiǎo shuō lǐ, chāng fù cháng bèi miáo xiě wèi kě lián de nǚ zǐ.
    In classical novels, prostitutes are often portrayed as pitiable women.
  • ，娼妇。
    Zhè ge cí xiàn zài fēi cháng cū lǔ, qiān wàn bú yào duì rén shuō chāng fù.
    This word is now very rude—never call someone a whore.
  • 娼妇，。
    Tā chǎo jià shí mà le duì fāng yí jù chāng fù, jié guǒ bèi rén bào jǐng le.
    He insulted the other person by calling them a bitch during an argument, which led to someone calling the police.

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.

娼chāngprostitute
妇fùwoman

娼 names a prostitute, and 妇 names a woman, so the word means a woman who is a prostitute.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 娼 →

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 →
Appears in
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