Definitions
(noun)
wife
(verb)
to marry off (a daughter)
Etymology
Pictograph of a hand grabbing a woman's hair to take her as a wife. In ancient China, women of marriageable age wore hairpins (compare with 每).
About
The character 妻, denoting 'wife' in modern Chinese, structurally combines the component 女 meaning 'woman' with an upper element derived from an early pictorial representation of a hand engaged in arranging hair, a ritual act symbolizing the formalization of marriage in antiquity. Etymologically, this visual conception centered on the bridal ceremony, where the styling of a woman's hair marked her entry into matrimony, providing the character with its foundational meaning. Over time, the term's application narrowed from a general reference to any married woman toward a more specific designation for the principal wife within a familial structure. While the graphical form has been subject to stylistic standardization across centuries, the core semantic link to wedlock persists within its assembled parts.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他的妻子是医生。
我和妻子一起去旅行。
他的妻子在厨房里做饭。
夫妻两人都很高兴。
他每天下班后都陪伴妻子。
虽然工作很忙，但他总是抽时间陪妻子。
他的妻子不仅漂亮，而且非常聪明。
为了支持丈夫的事业，妻子放弃了自己的工作。