爹娘 (diē niáng) — father and mother; parents

Definition

爹娘 (diē niáng) is a literary, slightly old-fashioned word for 'father and mother' — more emotive and traditional than the everyday 父母. Often used in formal writing, fixed phrases, or when emphasizing family bonds (e.g. 孝顺爹娘).

noun
father and motherparents

Examples

  • 爹娘。
    Tā de diē niáng duì tā fēi cháng hǎo.
    His parents treat him very well.
  • 爹娘。
    Xiào shùn diē niáng shì zhōng huá mín zú de chuán tǒng měi dé.
    Filial piety toward parents is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation.
  • ，爹娘。
    Měi nián chūn jié, tā dōu huì huí jiā kàn wàng diē niáng.
    Every Spring Festival, she goes home to visit her parents.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

爹diēfather
娘niángmother

爹 means father and 娘 means mother, yielding the idea of parents.

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
父父fùfather
Sound part声符shēngfú
多
多duō爹diē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

爹 has 父, meaning father, on top, and 多 below to give its sound.

Open 爹 →

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nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
良
良liáng娘niáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

娘 is built from 女 (woman) and 良, which supplies the sound.

Open 娘 →

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