About
The character 奴 combines the semantic component 奴 (woman) with the component 又 (hand), depicting a hand seizing a woman. This original image reflects the historical capture of female prisoners in war, who were then enslaved. Consequently, the core meaning is "slave" or "servant", a person owned by another and forced into unpaid labor. The usage later broadened to include male slaves and appears in texts about rigid social hierarchies, bondage, or a servile attitude toward authority.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这个奴隶很辛苦。
奴仆为主人服务。
他表现出奴性。
农奴在田间劳动。
他们被奴役了很多年。
古代奴婢生活悲惨。
我们不能做亡国奴。
反对奴役制度是正义的。