嫁

• Pinyin: jià
• Hanzi breakdown: 嫁 = 女 (woman) + 家 (home; family — a woman moving to her husband's family home)

Meaning

To marry (specifically of a woman); to give in marriage; to wed. Also used in 嫁祸 (to shift blame or misfortune onto another).

The counterpart to 娶 (for a man taking a wife). 嫁 views marriage from the perspective of the woman or her family. In classical usage, implies the woman leaving her natal home. Still used in modern Chinese, though 结婚 (gender-neutral) is more common in everyday speech.

Examples

1. 她最终选择嫁给了那位才华横溢却身无分文的年轻画家。 In the end, she chose to marry a young painter who was brilliantly talented but penniless.
2. 旧时女子出嫁后便从夫姓，失去了独立的社会身份与财产权利。 In the old days, after a woman married, she took her husband’s surname and lost her independent social status and property rights.
3. 他们试图将责任嫁祸于人，但调查结果最终还是揭露了真相。 They tried to pin the blame on someone else, but the investigation ultimately exposed the truth.

Usage Guide

Context: marriage, family, classical literature, social commentary

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 在现代社会，婚姻已不再是女性改变命运的唯一途径，越来越多的女性选择在事业发展到一定阶段后再考虑嫁人，而非将婚姻置于人生规划的首位。(In modern society, marriage is no longer the only path for women to change their fate; more and more women choose to consider marrying only after their careers have reached a certain stage, rather than placing marriage at the top of their life planning.)
• 这段古老的家训告诫后代：嫁女儿时不应只看对方的财富与地位，更应当考察其人品与家风，因为良好的品德才是维系婚姻长久幸福的根本基础。(This ancient family precept cautions its descendants: when giving a daughter in marriage, one should not only look at the other party's wealth and social standing but should also examine their character and family conduct, for good moral character is the fundamental basis for sustaining long-term marital happiness.)

Don't Say

• 嫁 specifically refers to a woman marrying or being given in marriage. Do not use it to describe a man getting married — use 娶 (to take a wife) or the gender-neutral 结婚 instead. Also note that 嫁祸 (to shift blame or misfortune onto someone) is a completely separate compound with no connection to the marriage sense.

Origin & History

嫁 = 女 + 家 (woman + home — a woman going to a new home/family)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal