Chinese word

继母

Pronunciation

Pinyinjì mǔ

Meaning

  • nounstepmother

Example

我从小就和继母住在一起。wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù hé jì mǔ zhù zài yì qǐ

I have lived with my stepmother since I was little.

Illustration for 继母 (stepmother)

More examples

虽然是继母，她对我很关心。suī rán shì jì mǔ tā duì wǒ hěn guān xīn

Although she is my stepmother, she cares a lot about me.

Core concept

A parent by marriage who joins a child's family after the father's remarriage and takes on a mother's role.

Common phrases

  • 和继母住在一起hé jì mǔ zhù zài yì qǐ

    live with one's stepmother

  • 继母抚养孩子jì mǔ fú yǎng hái zi

    stepmother raises children

  • 继母对孩子严格jì mǔ duì hái zi yán gé

    stepmother is strict with children

Similar words

后妈hòu mā: An everyday term for a father's new wife who cares for his child as a mother.
继父jì fù: A parent's new husband who takes on a father's role in caring for the child.
养母yáng mǔ: A woman who takes a motherly role in raising a child who is not her biological child.

Definition in Chinese

指父亲与孩子的生母婚姻结束后，父亲再婚并在家庭中承担母亲角色、对孩子进行照顾或抚养的女性。zhǐ fù qīn yǔ hái zi de shēng mǔ hūn yīn jié shù hòu fù qīn zài hūn bìng zài jiā tíng zhōng chéng dān mǔ qīn jué sè duì hái zi jìn xíng zhào gù huò fú yǎng de nǚ xìng

Word origin

继母 (jìmǔ, "stepmother") combines 继 (jì, "continue or take over") with 母 (mǔ, "mother"), framing the new family member as carrying on a mother's role.

Usage tips

  • Unlike the stereotype in some English-language fairy tales, this word carries no built-in judgment about whether the family member is kind or cruel.

Other meanings

  • step-parentnoun

Opposites

  • 亲生母亲qīn shēng mǔ qīnbiological mothernoun
  • 生母shēng mǔbirth mothernoun

Related words

Word lists with this word