WOMAN    女人女

FEMALE ADULT.
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The current general word for a woman is nu# 女 (ant. nán 男 "male"), and the word can also refer to unmarried women. 2. Fù 婦 (ant. fū 夫 "married man") refers to a woman who is either married or definitely of marriagable age. 3. Aυ 媼 and yù 嫗 (ant. wēng 翁 and sōu 叟 "old man") refer to old women. 4. Bì 婢 (ant. pú 僕 "male of low status") refers to a woman of low social status. 5. Nu# zǐ 女子 (ant. nán zǐ 男子 "male") can refer to a female child (as well as being an administrative way of referring to - preferably counted - females).
黄金貴：古漢語同義詞辨釋詞典
HUANG JINGUI 2006 HUMAN AFFAIRS 27: 婦女。 婦，已婚者，通稱。 女，未婚者。 嫗，泛稱，位於國名後。 姑，泛稱，與表小兒之 “ 息 ” 連用。 大家，尊稱。 嬪，美稱。 婢，賤稱，用於面稱。 HSWZ 1.2 婦人對曰： The woman replied, “ 阿谷之隧，涆 his declivity of A-ku 隱曲之汜， [holds] a winding stream, 其水載清載濁， whose water is alternatively clear and turbid 流而趨海， as it flows on its way to the sea. 欲飲則飲， If you wish to drink, then drink. 何問於婢子！ ” Why ask a woman? � [The woman is using a self-deprecatory term 婢子 with a suffix whereas the main text refers to her as a fù rén 婦人.]
Modern Chinese Criteria
女人 女子 女性 女士 女兒 丁女 女 娘 婦 婦女 婦道 婦人 女人家 女娘 小娘子 裙釵 女郎 巾幗 半邊天 娘子軍 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hyponym
  • OLD LADY　OLD WOMAN. (anc: 9/0, child: 0)
  • BRIDE　WOMAN who is FUTURE:about to be MARRIED to someone. (anc: 9/0, child: 0)
  • VIRGIN　WOMAN who has NEVER COPULATED. (anc: 9/0, child: 0)
  • FEMME FATALE　WOMAN WHOSE ATTRACTIVENESS DEFINES THE LIFE OF MEN (anc: 9/0, child: 0)
See also
  • WIFEMARRIED FEMALE MATE.
Hypernym
  • ADULT　HUMAN who is SUFFICIENTLY OLD to ESTABLISH his/her SEPARATE HOME. (anc: 7/0, child: 20)
  • HUMAN　ANIMAL which HAS TWO LEGS AND LACKS FEATHERS. (anc: 6/0, child: 31)
  • ANIMAL　CREATURE ABLE to FEEL AND MOVE. (anc: 5/0, child: 12)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 2.22

  • Lateinische Synonyme und Etymologien ( DOEDERLEIN 1840) p.

    WOMAN

    femina refers in a biological way to females, often of humans, but also of animals.

    mulier refers more tenderly to what was then considered as the weaker sex.

  • Verzeichnis und Motivindex der Han-Darstellungen ( FINSTERBUSCH 1966) p. 210

    Frauen; kaempfende:

  • Verzeichnis und Motivindex der Han-Darstellungen ( FINSTERBUSCH 2000) p. 742

    Frauen:

    F lists usefully the women depicted on her Han reliefs.

  • Anthologia sive Florilegium rerum et materiarum selectarum ( LANGIUS 1631) p.

    MULIER

  • 論衡同義詞研究 ( LUNHENG TONGYI 2004) p. 33

  • Lateinische Synonymik ( MENGE) p. 200

  • Dictionnaire culturel en langue francaise ( REY 2005) p. 2.943

  • Die Frau im alten China: Bild und Wirklichkeit. Studien zu den Quellen der Zhou und Han-Zeit ( SCHILLING 2001) p.

  • "Sachwoerterbuch zum Alten China" ( UNGER SACH) p.

    FRAUEN

  • 王力古漢語字典 ( WANG LI 2000) p. 186

    1. 未昏絕不可以稱婦 is perhaps an excessive statement. For one thing 宮婦 are not married, and for another we have HF: 宮婦不御者出嫁之， "Among the women in the palace he married off the one掇 he did not personally sleep with." There is not necessarily question of formal divorce in chu1 出, although probably there is. Compare HF:

    “丈夫二十而室， "A man should start a family at twenty;

    婦人十五而嫁。” a woman should get married at fifteen."

  • 中國文化背景八千詞 Zhongguo wenhua beijing ba qian ci ( WU SANXING 2008) p. 110ff

  • Using Chinese Synonyms ( GRACE ZHANG 2010) p. 294

  • Handbook of Greek Synonymes, from the French of M. Alex. Pillon, Librarian of the Bibliothèque Royale , at Paris, and one of the editors of the new edition of Plaché's Dictionnaire Grec-Français, edited, with notes, by the Rev. Thomas Kerchever Arnold, M.A. Rector of Lyndon, and late fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge ( PILLON 1850) p. no.157/8

  • 古漢語常用詞同義詞詞典 ( HONG CHENGYU 2009) p. 45

  • A New Dictionary of Classical Greek Synonyms ( T.W.HARBSMEIER 2004) p. NO.157

  • Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography ( ROBERTS 1998) p. 321

    FEMALE BEAUTY

  • The Concept of Woman ( ALLEN 1996-2002) p.

  • Women in ancient China ( HINSCH 2011) p.

    • Words (20 items)

    婦人  fù rén OC: buʔ njin MC: bɨu ȵin 36 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPdefinitethe woman; the women
    • NPfigurativebe (fearful) like a woman
    • NPindefinitea woman (married or definitely of marriagable age i.e. above 15)
    • NPnonreferentialthe woman
    • NPpluralunmarried young womenCH
    婦  fù OC: buʔ MC: bɨu
    帚  fù MC: -- OC: -- 16 Attributions

    Fù 婦 (ant. fū 夫 "married man") refers to a woman who is either married or definitely of marriagable age.

      Syntactic words
    • ne.g. 在塗稱婦 "any female of marriagable age"; but also 宮婦,室婦
    • n=Nprwoman Npr
    • nadNwoman-like, for women (NB: in "the ritual practice of a woman" "woman" would not be nadN.)
    • nadNn=objectfor a woman; intended for womenDS
    • nadNn=subjectwoman's; made by a womanDS
    • nadVin the womanly fashionLZ
    女  nǚ OC: naʔ MC: ɳi̯ɤ 14 Attributions

    The current general word for a woman is nǚ 女 (ant. nán 男 "male"), and the word can also refer to unmarried women.

      Syntactic words
    • nunmarried woman; girl
    • nwomanCH
    • nadNfemale, characteristic of women
    • ndefinitethe particular womanDS
    • nnonreferentiala woman
    女子  nǚ zǐ OC: naʔ sklɯʔ MC: ɳi̯ɤ tsɨ 9 Attributions

    Nu# zǐ 女子 (ant. nán zǐ 男子 "male") can refer to a female child (as well as being an administrative way of referring to - preferably counted - females).

      Word relations
    • Ant: 丈夫/MALE Zhàng fū 丈夫 (opp. fù rén 婦人 "woman") is a current, probably colloquial, word for an adult male.

      Syntactic words
    • NPwomen (when counted)
    • NPadNin the style of a woman
    • NPnonreferentialwomen in general
    美人  měi rén OC: mriʔ njin MC: mi ȵin 7 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NP{vadN}harem lady; beautiful lady; beautiful ladies
    婦女  fù nǚ OC: buʔ naʔ MC: bɨu ɳi̯ɤ 6 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPdefinitewoman
    • NPindefinitewoman
    • NPnonreferentialwomen in general
    怨女  yuàn nǚ OC: qons naʔ MC: ʔi̯ɐn ɳi̯ɤ 6 Attributions

      Word relations
    • Oppos: 曠夫/BACHELOR There are no competing terms for "bachelor" in classical Chinese. The current word is kuàng fū 曠夫 (opp. yuàn nu# 怨女"unmarried woman of marrigeable age").

      Syntactic words
    • NPspinster; marriable woman, unmarried woman of an age where she could be married but is not
    美女  měi nǚ OC: mriʔ naʔ MC: mi ɳi̯ɤ 3 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NP{vadN}palace lady (presumably pretty, but "beautiful" is an empty epithet here, I believe)
    女色  nǚ sè OC: naʔ sqrɯɡ MC: ɳi̯ɤ ʂɨk 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPnonreferentialfemale beauty > women as sex objects
    女郎  nǚ láng OC: naʔ ɡ-raaŋ MC: ɳi̯ɤ lɑŋ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPyoung lady
    君  jūn OC: klun MC: ki̯un 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • npost=NprLady N
    婢  bì OC: beʔ MC: biɛ 1 Attribution

    Bì 婢 (ant. pú 僕 "male of low status") refers to a woman of low social status.

      Syntactic words
    • nmaid; humble woman
    媛  yuàn OC: ɢʷans MC: ɦiɛn 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • nbeautiful lady (of the palace)
    美  měi OC: mriʔ MC: mi 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • nnonreferentialbeautiful ladies; female beauty
    娘  niáng OC: mɢraŋ MC: ɳi̯ɐŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • npost-Han, Three Kingdoms: young lady
    • nadVDELETE
    媼  ǎo OC: quuʔ MC: ʔɑu 0 Attributions

    Aυ 媼 and yù 嫗 (ant. wēng 翁 and sōu 叟 "old man") refer to old women.

      Syntactic words
    • nold woman
    嫗  yù OC: qos MC: ʔi̯o 0 Attributions

    Aυ 媼 and yù 嫗 (ant. wēng 翁 and sōu 叟 "old man") refer to old women.

      Syntactic words
    • nold woman
    嫫  mó OC: maa MC: muo̝ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nugly woman
    嫭  hù OC: ɢaas MC: ɦuo̝ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nHANSHU: beautiful lady
    婦女人  fù nǚ rén OC: buʔ naʔ njin MC: bɨu ɳi̯ɤ ȵin 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPindefinitea woman (expanded form to make four-character phrase)