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媳妇 (xí fu) — daughter-in-law; (colloquial, northern) wife (of a younger man); young married woman

Definition

Mainly 'daughter-in-law' (the woman who married your son). In colloquial northern speech it can also mean a younger man's 'wife' — less common than 老婆 or 妻子.

noun
daughter-in-law(colloquial, northern) wife (of a younger man)young married woman
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 媳妇，。
    Pó po duì xí fu hěn hǎo, xiàng qīn nǚ ér yí yàng.
    The mother-in-law treats her daughter-in-law very well, like her own daughter.
  • ，媳妇。
    Tā gāng jié hūn, xí fu shì gè lǎo shī.
    He just got married; his wife is a teacher.
  • 媳妇。
    Cūn lǐ de nián qīng xí fu men jīng cháng yì qǐ liáo tiān.
    The young married women in the village often chat together.

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.

媳xídaughter-in-law
妇fùwoman; wife

媳 names a daughter-in-law, 妇 a woman or wife; together they give daughter-in-law 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nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
息
息xī媳xí
Same sound today

In 媳, the left part 女 shows a woman, and the right part 息 gives the character its sound.

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
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Family & Kinship

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