寡妇

• Pinyin: guǎ fu
• Hanzi breakdown: 寡 = 宀 (roof) + 頁 (head) + 刀 (knife) — one left alone under a roof; 妇 = 女 (woman) + 彐 (broom) — woman managing the household

Meaning

Widow; a woman whose husband has died and who has not remarried.

A formal and somewhat literary term for a widowed woman. While 寡妇 is the standard term, it can carry a slightly dated or blunt tone in modern speech. Used in historical literature, formal reporting, and social analysis. The character 寡 reflects the traditional sense of a person left alone.

Examples

1. 她年轻守寡，一个人含辛茹苦地将三个孩子抚养成人。 Widowed at a young age, she raised three children on her own through tremendous hardship.
2. 村里的寡妇们互相照应，共同撑起了战乱年代残破的家园。 The widows in the village looked out for one another, holding together what was left of their homes during years of war and turmoil.
3. 这部小说以一位坚韧的寡妇为主角，细腻描绘了她在乱世中的挣扎与成长。 This novel centers on a resilient widow, delicately portraying her struggles and growth in troubled times.

Usage Guide

Context: history, literature, society

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她是一位坚强的寡妇，独自含辛茹苦地抚养了两个孩子。(She is a resilient widow who raised two children entirely on her own.)
• 这部历史剧真实再现了寡妇在封建社会中所承受的艰辛处境。(This historical drama faithfully portrays the hardships that widows endured in feudal society.)

Don't Say

• 用'寡妇'泛指任何单身或离异女性 — 寡妇 specifically means a woman whose husband has died; use 单身女性 for single women generally or 离异女性 for divorced women

Origin & History

寡 (alone; few; widowed) + 妇 (woman; wife). Literally 'a woman left alone,' referring to one whose husband has died.

Cultural Context

Era: Historical to modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal