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情妇 (qíng fù) — mistress (woman in an extramarital relationship with a married man)

Definition

Refers to a woman in an extramarital relationship with a married man. Carries a negative, morally judgmental tone — the English "mistress" (or "the other woman") is typically used.

noun
mistress (woman in an extramarital relationship with a married man)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 情妇。
    Tā yǒu yí gè qíng fù.
    He has a mistress.
  • 情妇。
    Tīng shuō tā de qíng fù hěn yǒu qián.
    I heard his mistress is very wealthy.
  • 情妇。
    Tā bù néng jiē shòu zhàng fu yǒu qíng fù.
    She cannot accept that her husband has a mistress.

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.

情qínglove/romance
妇fùwoman

“情” contributes the idea of a romantic relationship, while “妇” denotes a woman, together meaning a woman in such a relationship.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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 婦; 妇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
帚
帚zhǒu婦fù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 婦 pairs 女 (woman) with 帚 (broom), and the Shuowen reads it as a woman holding a broom. The simplified 妇 is a shorthand.

Open 妇 →
Appears in
Romance & Marriage

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