嫔

嬪

pín

女 + 宾

Definitions

pín imperial concubine

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 宾 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嬪.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 宾

About

嫔 is the simplified form of 嬪, a phonosemantic compound where 女 (woman) on the left indicates the meaning and 宾 (bīn) on the right indicates the sound. In early usage, it was a general term for a woman, wife, or female court attendant, but over time its meaning narrowed within the imperial court system to the official title for high-ranking imperial concubines with defined ranks in the inner palace hierarchy. The character appears often in historical and literary texts about the imperial harem, reflecting the strict social stratification and assigned roles of women in dynastic households.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她是皇帝的嫔妃。

Tā shì huángdì de pínfēi.

She is the emperor's concubine.

这位嫔妃很受宠爱。

Zhè wèi pínfēi hěn shòu chǒng'ài.

This concubine is very favored.

在古代，嫔妃住在后宫。

Zài gǔdài, pínfēi zhù zài hòugōng.

In ancient times, concubines lived in the inner palace.

册封嫔妃是宫廷礼仪。

Cèfēng pínfēi shì gōngtíng lǐyí.

Enfeoffing concubines is a court ritual.

如果嫔妃生子，地位会提高。

Rúguǒ pínfēi shēng zǐ, dìwèi huì tígāo.

If a concubine gives birth to a son, her status will improve.

那位美丽的嫔妃擅长舞蹈。

Nà wèi měilì de pínfēi shàncháng wǔdǎo.

That beautiful concubine is good at dancing.

历史记载了这位嫔妃的故事。

Lìshǐ jìzǎile zhè wèi pínfēi de gùshì.

History records the story of this concubine.

尽管嫔妃们争宠，但宫廷秩序井然。

Jǐnguǎn pínfēimen zhēng chǒng, dàn gōngtíng zhìxù jǐngrán.

Although the concubines compete for favor, the court order is orderly.

Related Characters

Component: 女

Component: 宾

嫔