concubine; secondary wife
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
concubine; secondary wife in traditional polygamous marriage
archaicRefers to a secondary wife or concubine in pre-modern Chinese marriage practices, typically subordinate to the principal wife (正妻). The term carries historical and social connotations from the era of polygamy.
Tā他
yé爷
ye爷
dāng当
nián年
qǔ娶
le了
liǎng两
fáng房
yí姨
tài太
tai太
。
His grandfather took two concubines back in those days.
Jiù旧
shè社
huì会
de的
dì地
zhǔ主
cháng常
cháng常
yǒu有
sān三
qī妻
sì四
qiè妾
，
bāo包
kuò括
hǎo好
jǐ几
wèi位
yí姨
tài太
tai太
。
Landlords in the old society often had multiple wives and concubines, including several secondary wives.
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Tā她
bù不
gān甘
xīn心
zuò做
yí姨
tài太
tai太
，
jué决
dìng定
lí离
kāi开
nà那
ge个
dà大
zhái宅
mén门
。
She was unwilling to be a concubine and decided to leave that wealthy household.
Diàn电
shì视
jù剧
lǐ里
cháng常
yǎn演
dà大
zhái宅
mén门
lǐ里
yí姨
tài太
tai太
zhēng争
chǒng宠
de的
gù故
shi事
。
TV dramas often depict stories of concubines vying for favor in wealthy households.