媳妇

• 병음: xí fu
• 한자 분석: 媳 = 女 + 息 (woman + son/rest — woman belonging to the son's family, daughter-in-law); 妇 = 女 + 帚 (woman + broom — married woman)

뜻

며느리; (구어, 특히 북방) 아내

Has two distinct uses: the formal/traditional meaning is daughter-in-law (son's wife), while in colloquial northern Chinese dialect it also means 'my wife.' Context usually clarifies. Appears frequently in discussions of family relationships and social dynamics, including the culturally sensitive 婆媳关系 (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship).

예문

1. 婆婆对媳妇的烹饪手艺赞不绝口，说她做的红烧肉比自己做的还要香。
2. 他把相亲对象带回家，爷爷笑着问这是不是他未来的媳妇。
3. 婆媳关系历来是家庭矛盾的高发地带，需要双方都付出理解与包容。

사용 가이드

맥락: family, relationships, everyday, social dynamics

어조: warm

올바른 표현

• 在城市家庭里，越来越多媳妇不再只讲服从，而是主动划定边界，争取平等发言权。(In urban families, more and more daughters-in-law no longer focus only on obedience; they actively set boundaries and seek equal say.)
• 农村迎娶不仅是两人结合，新媳妇进门后的一系列拜见礼，也是在公开确认家族秩序。(In rural weddings, the ceremony is not only a union of two people; the series of visits a new daughter-in-law makes after entering the home also publicly confirms family order.)

피해야 할 표현

• 媳妇 in formal or official writing when referring to a wife — use 妻子 or 配偶 in formal documents; 媳妇 is colloquial and family-oriented; in formal writing or professional contexts, especially for legal or administrative purposes, 妻子 is the appropriate term

기원과 역사

媳 = 女 + 息 (woman + breath/son — a woman who has become part of the son's household, i.e., daughter-in-law); 妇 = 女 + 帚 (woman + broom — originally a married woman performing household tasks)

문화적 배경

세대: All ages

사회적 배경: Universal