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嫁妆 (jià zhuang) — dowry, bride's trousseau

Definition

Dowry — the property, jewelry, or household goods a bride brings to her marriage. Rooted in Chinese wedding tradition but increasingly uncommon today.

noun
dowrybride's trousseau
Measure word · 份

Examples

  • 嫁妆。
    Tā fù mǔ wèi tā zhǔn bèi le fēng hòu de jià zhuang.
    Her parents prepared a generous dowry for her.
  • ，嫁妆。
    Xiàn dài shè huì lǐ, xǔ duō nián qīng rén bú zài kàn zhòng jià zhuang le.
    In modern society, many young people no longer value dowry.
  • 嫁妆。
    Chuán tǒng de jià zhuang zhōng jīng cháng bāo kuò jīn yín shǒu shì hé jiā yòng pǐn.
    Traditional dowries often include gold and silver jewelry and household items.

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.

嫁jiàmarriage
妆zhuāngtrousseau

嫁 points to marriage and 妆 to the bride's trousseau, so the word means dowry.

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
家
家jiā嫁jià
Same sound today

嫁 uses 女 to show it relates to a woman, and 家 to give its sound.

Open 嫁 →

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 妝; 妆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚfemale
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán妝zhuāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 妝 combines 女, meaning female, with 爿 as a sound part; this describes 妝, not the simplified 妆.

Open 妆 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Romance & Marriage

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