Chinese word

丧偶

Pronunciation

Pinyinsàng ǒu

Meaning

  • verbbe widowed

Example

他五年前丧偶，独自抚养孩子。tā wǔ nián qián sàng ǒu dú zì fú yǎng hái zi

He was widowed five years ago and raises his child alone.

Illustration for 丧偶 (be widowed)

More examples

很多丧偶的人通过参加互助小组减轻孤独感。hěn duō sàng ǒu de rén tōng guò cān jiā hù zhù xiáo zǔ jiǎn qīng gū dú gǎn

Many widowed people ease their loneliness by joining support groups.

Core concept

One spouse is left without the other, turning a two-person marriage into a one-person life.

Common phrases

  • 丧偶了sàng ǒu le

    become widowed

  • 丧偶后sàng ǒu hòu

    after becoming widowed

  • 丧偶的人sàng ǒu de rén

    widowed people

Similar words

丧夫sàng fū: Become widowed when one's husband dies.
丧妻sàng qī: Become widowed when one's wife dies.
去世qù shì: Die, expressed in a respectful way.
过世guò shì: Pass away, expressed in a gentle and respectful way.

Definition in Chinese

因配偶死亡而成为没有配偶的状态，或指发生这一事实。yīn pèi ǒu sǐ wáng ér chéng wéi méi yǒu pèi ǒu de zhuàng tài huò zhǐ fā shēng zhè yí shì shí

Word origin

丧 (sàng, "loss through death") + 偶 (ǒu, "mate or partner") gives the word its focus on losing the partner in a marriage.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, a full clause about the spouse's death often sounds more natural than this concise, formal-sounding word.

Other meanings

  • become a widowverb

Word lists with this word