弟媳 (dì xí) — sister-in-law (younger brother's wife)

Definition

Refers specifically to the wife of one's younger brother. It is more specific than the general term 嫂子 (sēnzi), which refers to the wife of one's older brother.

noun
sister-in-law (younger brother's wife)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 弟媳。
    Wǒ de dì xí fēi cháng wēn róu tǐ tiē.
    My younger brother's wife is very gentle and considerate.
  • 弟媳，。
    Zuó tiān wǒ qù bài fǎng le dì xí, tā gěi wǒ zuò le hěn duō hǎo chī de.
    Yesterday I went to visit my younger brother's wife, and she made me a lot of delicious food.
  • ，弟媳。
    Zài jiā tíng jù huì shàng, dà jiā dōu hěn xǐ huan wǒ de dì xí.
    At the family gathering, everyone really liked my younger brother's wife.

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.

弟dìyounger brother
媳xíwife

弟 specifies the younger brother, and 媳 means wife, giving younger brother's wife.

Characters in this word

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

弟 pictures a spear handle wrapped in a leather strap. The wrapping showed order, and that meaning was extended to a younger brother.

Open 弟 →

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.

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