待字闺中 (dài zì guī zhōng) — (of a young woman) not yet betrothed; still unmarried

Definition

Literary idiom for an unmarried young woman of marriageable age. '字' refers to the name given upon betrothal, so the phrase literally means 'still waiting for her betrothal name in the boudoir.'

idiom
(of a young woman) not yet betrothedstill unmarried

Examples

  • ，待字闺中。
    Tā jīn nián èr shí wǔ suì, réng rán dài zì guī zhōng.
    She is twenty-five this year and still unmarried.
  • 待字闺中，。
    Gǔ dài nǚ zǐ dài zì guī zhōng shí, hěn shǎo chū mén.
    In ancient times, unmarried girls rarely went out.
  • 待字闺中，。
    Tā suī yǐ dài zì guī zhōng, dàn yǐ yǒu xīn shàng rén.
    Although she is not yet betrothed, she already has someone in her heart.

Origin

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
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì待dài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

待 is built from 彳 on the left and 寺 on the right; 彳 is tied to the meaning, and 寺 gives the sound.

Open 待 →

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
子
子zǐ字zì
Same sound today

字 pairs 宀 (roof) with 子 (child); 子 gives the sound, while 宀 relates to the meaning.

Open 字 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閨; 闺 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 圭圭guīpointed jade tablet

The traditional form 閨 has 門 (door) and 圭 (pointed jade tablet), and is described as an arched door shaped like 圭. The simplified 闺 is a later shorthand.

Open 闺 →

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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