The word 主妇 is formed by combining two characters: 主 (zhǔ), meaning "master", "primary", or "to be in charge", and 妇 (fù), meaning "woman" or "wife". Conceptually, it merges the idea of being the primary person in charge (主) with the identity of a woman (妇), specifically one who is married. This creates a single, unified concept of a "housewife" or "homemaker", a woman who holds the primary responsibility for managing the domestic affairs of a household. The formation is a direct semantic compound, where the meaning of the whole is derived from the combined meanings of its parts.