家母 (jiā mǔ) — (humble) my mother

Definition

家母 is a humble, formal way to say 'my mother' when speaking to outsiders about one's own parent. Less common in daily speech; contrast with the plain 妈妈 and with the neutral 我母亲.

noun
(humble) my mother

Examples

  • 家母，。
    jiā mǔ Shēn tǐ yì zhí hěn hǎo, qǐng nín fàng xīn.
    My mother has been in good health, please rest assured.
  • 家母。
    jiā mǔ Cháng tí qǐ nín duì wǒ men de bāng zhù.
    My mother often mentions your help to us.
  • 家母。
    Zhè cì duō kuī le jiā mǔ de zhào gù.
    This time it was all thanks to my mother's care.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

家jiāhumble
母mǔmother

“家” points to one's own family in a humble way, “母” is mother; together it politely names one's mother.

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 母 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.