guǎ

寡妇

Word · Adjective · NounTraditional寡

few; widow

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 5 examples
1.

adjective

few; scant; lacking

literary

Often used in literary or formal contexts to describe scarcity.

Tā他
zhè这
ge个
rén人
chén沉
mò默
guǎ寡
yán言
 。

He is a man of few words.

Dí敌
zhòng众
wǒ我
guǎ寡
 ，
xíng形
shì势
bù不
lì利
 。

The enemy is many and we are few; the situation is unfavorable.

2.

noun

widow; woman who has lost her husband

formal

A classical and formal term for a widow. Can be considered slightly old-fashioned, though still used in fixed compounds and legal contexts.

Tā她
nián年
jì纪
qīng轻
qīng轻
jiù就
shǒu守
le了
guǎ寡
 。

She became a widow at a young age.

Zài在
gǔ古
dài代
 ，
guǎ寡
fu妇
de的
shēng生
huó活
wǎng往
wǎng往
hěn很
jiān艰
nán难
 。

In ancient times, the life of a widow was often very difficult.

Show 1 more example
yí遗
gū孤
guǎ寡
mǔ母

orphaned children and widowed mothers (a phrase describing a family in distress)