maidservant; servant girl
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
maidservant; servant girl; handmaid
Also written as 丫环. Refers to young female servants in wealthy households, especially in pre-modern China. The term appears frequently in classical literature such as 'Dream of the Red Chamber'. In modern usage, it may carry historical or literary connotations.
《
Hóng红
lóu楼
mèng梦
》
lǐ里
de的
yā丫
huan鬟
men们
gè各
yǒu有
xìng性
gé格
。
The maidservants in Dream of the Red Chamber each have their own personalities.
Tā她
cóng从
xiǎo小
jiù就
bèi被
mài卖
dào到
dì地
zhǔ主
jiā家
dāng当
yā丫
huan鬟
。
She was sold to a landlord's family to work as a maidservant when she was very young.
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Xiǎo小
jiě姐
dài带
zhe着
liǎng两
gè个
yā丫
huan鬟
chū出
mén门
qù去
le了
。
The young lady went out with two maidservants.