father's principal wife (as called by children of concubines)
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
father's principal wife (in the patriarchal clan system, as addressed by children of a concubine)
archaicIn traditional Chinese kinship systems, a man could have one official wife (正妻) and concubines (妾). Children born to concubines called the official wife 嫡母 to distinguish her from their birth mother (生母). This term reflects the strict hierarchical distinctions in traditional family structures.
In ancient times, children of concubines had to respect their father's principal wife.
In *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Tanchun calls Lady Wang her father's principal wife.
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Although the principal wife was not the birth mother, she held a position of high status under the patriarchal system.
According to ancient ritual, when the principal wife died, children of concubines also had to observe three years of mourning for her.