Chinese word

妻子

Pronunciation

Pinyinqī zǐ

Meaning

  • nounwife

Example

他有一个妻子。tā yǒu yí gè qī zǐ

He has a wife.

Illustration for 妻子 (wife)

More examples

他对妻子非常体贴。tā duì qī zǐ fēi cháng tǐ tiē

He is very considerate of his wife.

Core concept

The female partner in a marriage, viewed as part of the shared family relationship.

Common phrases

  • 妻子和孩子qī zǐ hé hái zi

    wife and children

  • 对妻子好duì qī zǐ hǎo

    be good to one's wife

  • 爱妻子ài qī zǐ

    love one's wife

Similar words

太太tài tài: A generally polite term for referring to a wife when speaking with others.
老婆lǎo pó: A familiar and affectionate way to call a wife in casual conversation.
妻qī: A somewhat formal word for a wife used in formal settings and writing.

Definition in Chinese

指婚姻关系中作为配偶的女性，即某人的妻子，现代汉语中常用来称呼或指代配偶（妻）。zhǐ hūn yīn guān xì zhōng zuò wéi pèi ǒu de nǚ xìng jí mǒu rén de qī zǐ xiàn dài hàn yǔ zhōng cháng yòng lái chēng hū huò zhǐ dài pèi ǒu qī

Word origin

妻 (qī, "wife") + 子 (zǐ, "child") reflects an older pairing of a wife and children, but the compound later narrowed to mean the wife in modern Mandarin.

Usage tips

  • In spoken Chinese, this noun often sounds more matter-of-fact or formal than the wording used in intimate family talk, so it fits factual descriptions especially well.

Other meanings

  • spousenoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word