TongTong
Sign in

房事 (fáng shì) — (euphemism) sexual intercourse (especially between married couples)

Definition

A polite, euphemistic term for sexual intercourse, most natural when referring to married couples or in formal/medical contexts rather than casual speech.

noun
(euphemism) sexual intercourse (especially between married couples)

Examples

  • 房事。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā men zhù yì fáng shì de pín lǜ.
    The doctor advised them to pay attention to the frequency of sexual intercourse.
  • 房事。
    Gǔ dài wén xiàn zhōng cháng yǒu guān yú fáng shì de jì zǎi.
    Ancient texts often contain records about sexual matters.
  • 房事。
    Fū qī zhī jiān hé xié de fáng shì yǒu zhù yú zēng jìn gǎn qíng.
    Harmonious sexual intercourse between spouses helps enhance their relationship.

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.

房fángroom
事shìaffair

The character for room and the character for affair combine as a euphemistic expression.

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
戶戶hùdoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng房fáng
Same sound today

房 pairs 戶 (door) with 方 (fāng) as a sound part; 方 can also fit 'side,' as in a side room beside the main room.

Open 房 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
Romance & Marriage

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