妻 U+59BB, 妻 ← 妺[U+59BA] CJK Unified Ideographs 妼 →[U+59BC] Stroke order
妻 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, Cangjie input 十中女 (JLV), four-corner 50404, composition ⿱⿻一肀女)
- 凄, 啛, 悽, 捿, 淒, 棲, 䃀, 褄, 緀(𰬢), 郪, 㼮, 鶈, 萋, 霋
- Kangxi Dictionary: page 257, character 30
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6140
- Dae Jaweon: page 522, character 25
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1036, character 2
- Unihan data for U+59BB
trad. 妻 simp. # 妻 alternative forms
Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 肀 (“hand grabbing hair”) + 女 (“woman”) ― a man grabbing a woman’s hair to show ownership (marriage by capture).
Thought to be cognate to 齊 (OC *dzêi, “same, equal (adj.), in line”) (SWJZ[1]; Karlgren, 1956) & interpreted as “an equal to her husband”; yet this is unlikely considering the realities of ancient societies (Schuessler, 2007).
Schuessler instead proposes Austroasiatic etymology: he reconstructs 妻 (OC *tshə̂i) < *k-sə̂i and compares it to Middle Khmer [script needed] (kansai, “wife”) (whence Khmer កន្សៃ (kɑnsay, “wife”)) and Khmer [script needed] (*khsay, “be female”) with *ka(n)- being a female marker (ibid.).
妻
- wife
妻
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to give a wife to; to give as a wife; to become married to a man
- 子謂公冶長，「可妻也。雖在縲絏之中，非其罪也」。以其子妻之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]子谓公冶长，「可妻也。虽在缧绁之中，非其罪也」。以其子妻之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCEZǐ wèi Gōngyě Cháng, “kě qì yě. Suī zài léiyì zhī zhōng, fēi qí zuì yě”. Yǐ qí zǐ qì zhī. [Pinyin]The Master said of Gongye Chang that he might be wived; although he was put in bonds, he had not been guilty of any crime. Accordingly, he gave him his own daughter to wife.
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to marry a woman
- 好色，人之所欲，妻帝之二女，而不足以解憂； [Classical Chinese, trad.]好色，人之所欲，妻帝之二女，而不足以解忧； [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCEhǎosè, rén zhī suǒyù, qī dì zhī èrnǚ, ér bùzú yǐ jiěyōu; [Pinyin]To lust after feminine beauty is men’s desire, and Shun married as wives Emperor Yao’s two daughters, yet that was not enough to rid Shun of Shun’s sorrow.
(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)
- spouse
- Go-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
- Kan-on: せい (sei)
- Kun: つま (tsuma, 妻, Jōyō)、めあわせる (meawaseru, 妻せる)
Kanji in this term 妻 つまGrade: 5 kun’yomi
From 端 (tsuma, “side, edge”), indicating the person who is at the side of someone: a spouse.[1] Compare the English expression better half.
This term originally referred to either a male (husband) or female (wife) spouse. In modern usage, this term refers only to a female spouse.[1]
- 夫 (archaic)
- (Tokyo) つま [tsúꜜmà] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
- IPA(key): [t͡sɨma̠]
妻(つま) • (tsuma)
- (archaic) a spouse
- (humble, only refers to one’s own) a wife (married woman)
- 先(せん)生(せい)………………私(わたし)の妻(つま)は美(うつく)しいでしょう？Sensei……………… watashi no tsuma wa utsukushii deshō?Doctor… Do you think my wife is beautiful?ああ！すばらしい美(び)人(じん)ですよ！Ā! Subarashii bijin desu yo!Sure! She’s a gorgeous lady!
- (one’s own wife): 家(か)内(ない) (kanai)
- (someone else’s wife): 奥(おく)さん (okusan), 奥様(おくさま) (okusama)
- (spouse in general): 配偶者(はいぐうしゃ) (haigūsha)
- (dialectal, Kansai) 嫁(よめ) (yome)
- (dialectal, Kagoshima) うっかた (ukkata)
Kanji in this term 妻 つまGrade: 5 kun’yomi
By extension from the at the side sense.[1]
- (Tokyo) つま [tsùmáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[2]
- IPA(key): [t͡sɨma̠]
妻(つま) • (tsuma)
- a side dish
- a tangent, a digression, something to the side of the main thing
Kanji in this term 妻 さいGrade: 5 goon
From Middle Chinese 妻 (MC tshej|tshejH, “wife”).
- (Tokyo) さい [sáꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
- IPA(key): [sa̠i]
妻(さい) • (sai)
- my wife
- Isikawa Takuboku, Romazi Nikki
- Used chiefly in written texts such as letters.
- “妻”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia][2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015-2026
From Middle Chinese 妻 (MC tshej).
Historical readings Dongguk Jeongun reading Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 촁 (Yale: chyèy) Middle Korean Text Eumhun Gloss (hun) Reading Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[3] 겨〯집 (Yale: kyěcìp) 쳐 (Yale: chyè)
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [t͡ɕʰʌ̹]
- Phonetic hangul: [처]
妻 (eumhun 아내 처 (anae cheo))
- hanja form? of 처 (“wife”)
- 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [4]
妻: Hán Nôm readings: thê, thế
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