Chinese Conversation · Level 69
90 words
Chinese word
媳妇
Pronunciation
Pinyinxí fù
Meaning
- nounwife
Example
他晚上和媳妇一起做饭。tā wǎn shàng hé xí fù yì qǐ zuò fàn
He cooks with his wife in the evening.
More examples
周末我带媳妇回娘家，父母看到她很高兴。zhōu mò wǒ dài xí fù huí niáng jiā fù mǔ kàn dào tā hěn gāo xìng
On the weekend, I took my wife back to her parents' home, and my parents were very happy to see her.
Core concept
A woman recognized through the family she marries into, whether as a son's wife or as the speaker's own wife in northern usage.
Common phrases
带媳妇回娘家dài xí fù huí niáng jiā
take one's wife back to her parents' home
照顾媳妇zhào gù xí fù
take care of one's wife
介绍媳妇给朋友jiè shào xí fù gěi péng yǒu
introduce one's wife to friends
Similar words
老婆lǎo pó: A friendly spoken term for one's wife.
太太tài tài: A polite term for a married woman used in everyday and somewhat formal settings.
妻qī: A neutral, general term for a married woman.
夫人fū rén: A respectful term for a married woman, used in public settings or for a respected person's wife.
Definition in Chinese
称呼嫁入夫家的女性，侧重其在夫家中的身份，常指儿媳；北方口语中也常指自己的妻。chēng hū jià rù fū jiā de nǚ xìng cè zhòng qí zài fū jiā zhōng de shēn fèn cháng zhǐ ér xí běi fāng kóu yǔ zhōng yě cháng zhǐ zì jǐ de qī
Word origin
媳 (xí, "daughter-in-law") + 妇 (fù, "married woman") combine to name a married woman viewed through her husband's family.
Usage tips
- In family dialogue, the speaker's role and the surrounding relationship often supply information that English leaves to a separate phrase, making context important when this word is heard.