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王后 (wáng hòu) — queen consort (the wife of a king)

Definition

王后 specifically means the wife of a king (queen consort) — NOT a reigning female monarch, who is 女王.

noun
queen consort (the wife of a king)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 王后。
    Guó wáng hé wáng hòu yì qǐ chū xí le jīn tiān de yàn huì.
    The king and the queen consort attended today's banquet together.
  • 王后。
    Zhè wèi wáng hòu yǐ rén cí hé zhì huì wén míng.
    This queen consort is known for her kindness and wisdom.
  • 王后。
    Lì shǐ shàng xǔ duō wáng hòu dōu céng cān yù zhèng zhì jué cè.
    Many queen consorts in history have participated in political decision-making.

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.

王wángking
后hòuqueen

王 (king) specifies the 后 (queen) as a king's consort.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 王 comes from a picture of a ritual axe, an object kept near a throne and connected with royal power.

Open 王 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →
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Identity & Titles

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