Definitions

jià (verb) (of a woman) to marry; to get married
jià (verb) to marry off (a daughter)
jià (verb) to shift; to pass on (blame, responsibility)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 嫁, which signifies a woman's marriage, is constructed from the semantic radical 女 meaning "woman" and the phonetic component 家 meaning "home", together conveying the idea of a woman moving to establish a new household. Its etymology directly mirrors the traditional societal norm where marriage entailed a woman leaving her parental family to join her husband's domestic sphere. While the primary meaning has persistently centered on this female-specific act of marrying, the character has also developed extended metaphorical applications, such as in the term 嫁祸 where it means to transfer or impose something, like blame, onto another. Throughout its history, the character's form has remained stable, consistently relying on its compositional elements to express its core and ancillary meanings.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

姐姐出了。

Jiějie chūjià le.

Elder sister got married.

给了好朋友。

Tā jiàgěi le hǎo péngyou.

She married her good friend.

妹妹想到国外。

Mèimei xiǎng jià dào guówài.

Younger sister wants to marry abroad.

女儿出时哭了。

Nǚ'ér chūjià shí kū le.

The daughter cried when she got married.

入了一个富裕家庭。

Tā jiàrù le yīgè fùyù jiātíng.

She married into a wealthy family.

对人是一生幸福的关键。

Jià duì rén shì yīshēng xìngfú de guānjiàn.

Marrying the right person is key to lifelong happiness.

她宁愿不也不将就。

Tā nìngyuàn bù jià yě bù jiāngjiù.

She would rather not marry than settle.

现代女性对婚姻有自主权,由自己决定。

Xiàndài nǚxìng duì hūnyīn yǒu zìzhǔquán, jià bù jià yóu zìjǐ juédìng.

Modern women have autonomy over marriage, and whether to marry is up to themselves.