Chinese word

儿女

Pronunciation

Pinyinér nǚ

Meaning

  • nounchildren

Example

他们有三个儿女。tā men yǒu sān gè ér nǚ

They have three children.

Illustration for 儿女 (children)

More examples

退休后，他经常陪伴儿女散步。tuì xiū hòu tā jīng cháng péi bàn ér nǚ sàn bù

After retirement, he often takes walks with his children.

Core concept

A family's offspring seen as a complete set, with both male and female children included.

Common phrases

  • 有儿女yǒu ér nǚ

    have children

  • 养育儿女yǎng yù ér nǚ

    bring up children

  • 教育儿女jiào yù ér nǚ

    educate children

Similar words

孩子hái zi: Children as a general family term in familiar, everyday speech.
子女zí nǚ: A parent's children as referred to in formal documents, laws, or official systems.

Definition in Chinese

指父母的孩子，既包括儿子也包括女儿。zhǐ fù mǔ de hái zi jì bāo kuò ér zi yě bāo kuò nǚ ér

Word origin

儿 (ér, "child") + 女 (nǚ, "female") combines the child term with the female term to name a parent's children as a whole.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this noun has a more formal or written tone and fits family records and other careful descriptions especially well.

Other meanings

  • sons and daughtersnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 儿女双全ér nǚ shuāng quánbe blessed with both sons and daughtersidiom

Word lists with this word