About
The character "姘", which is the same in both traditional and simplified forms, is structurally composed of the semantic component "女" (woman) and the phonetic component "并" (to combine). Its etymology, based on this composition, directly points to its original meaning of an illicit or improper union between a man and a woman. Over time, the meaning of the character narrowed and specialized to refer specifically to a person involved in an adulterous or extramarital relationship, with "姘头" denoting the partner in such an affair.
Etymology Hide
