The Chinese word 情妇 (qíngfù), meaning "mistress" or "lover" (in the context of an extramarital affair), is a compound noun formed from two characters: 情 (qíng), which means "feeling", "emotion", or "affection", and 妇 (fù), which means "woman" or "wife". Literally, it translates to "affection-woman" or "emotion-woman", where the first character 情 describes the nature of the relationship (one based on romantic or sexual affection, often outside of marriage) and the second character 妇 specifies the person's gender and role. The term as a whole is a neutral-descriptive compound that has acquired its specific, and often socially stigmatized, meaning through contextual usage, distinguishing such a woman from a legally wedded wife (妻子 qīzi).