妻子

• Pinyin: qī zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 妻 = 屮 (sprout/hand) + 女 (woman) — a hand adorning a woman's hair (bride imagery); 子 = noun suffix

Meaning

Wife. The standard, slightly formal term for a married woman in relation to her husband.

The most standard and neutral word for 'wife' in Chinese. More formal than 老婆 (colloquial/affectionate) and less literary than 夫人 (which carries higher status connotations). Used in both spoken and written contexts. Common collocations: 他的妻子 (his wife), 前妻 (ex-wife). Often shortened to 妻 in compounds.

Examples

1. 他和妻子结婚已经二十年了。 He and his wife have been married for twenty years.
2. 他的妻子是一位小学老师。 His wife is a primary school teacher.
3. 他每天下班后都会给妻子打电话。 He calls his wife every day after work.

Usage Guide

Context: family, formal writing, everyday

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 我来介绍一下，这是我的妻子。(Let me introduce my wife.)
• 他非常爱他的妻子。(He loves his wife very much.)

Don't Say

• 对自己的妻子说'妻子' (Don't address your own wife as 妻子 directly — it is a third-person reference term; use 老婆 or her name when speaking to her)

Origin & History

A compound of 妻 (wife, originally depicting a woman with a hand in her hair — a bride) and 子 (suffix), forming the standard noun for wife.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal