TongTong
Sign in

子女 (zǐ nǚ) — children (sons and daughters)

Definition

Literary/formal word for 'children (sons and daughters)'. Unlike 儿女 it is more written and less emotional; 子孙 means later generations/descendants, not one's own kids.

noun
children (sons and daughters)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 子女。
    Tā de zǐ nǚ dōu hěn cōng ming.
    His children are all very smart.
  • 子女。
    zǐ nǚ Dōu gāi hǎo hǎo shàng xué.
    Children should all study well at school.
  • 子女。
    Fù mǔ yào guān xīn zǐ nǚ.
    Parents should care about their children.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

子zǐson
女nǚdaughter

子 “son” and 女 “daughter” together mean children.

Characters in this word

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

女 shows a woman with folded arms, kneeling or standing. In the modern form the figure faces right, and the small enclosed part is what is left of one arm.

Open 女 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Family & Kinship

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.