Word

夫妇 (fū fù) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 5

Meaning of 夫妇

名 míng noun

married couple

这对夫妇结婚三十年了。

zhè duì fū fù jié hūn sān shí nián le

This couple has been married for thirty years.

Word breakdown

夫 fū — husband

1 丈夫 zhàng fu — husband HSK 2
- 丈 adult male, man of stature
- 夫 man, husband
Example

她的丈夫是一位医生。

tā de zhàng fu shì yī wèi yī shēng

Her husband is a doctor.
2 夫妻 fū qī — husband and wife; married couple HSK 3
- 夫 husband
- 妻 wife
Example

夫妻应该互相尊重。

fū qī yīng gāi hù xiāng zūn zhòng

Husband and wife should respect each other.
3 功夫 gōng fu — kung fu; skill; effort HSK 4
- 功 achievement; skill; work
- 夫 suffix completing the word; relates to time/labor spent
Example

学好中文需要下功夫。

xué hǎo zhōng wén xū yào xià gōng fu

Learning Chinese well requires effort.
4 大夫 dài fu — doctor HSK 4
- 大 great, senior
- 夫 man, person
Example

大夫说我需要多休息。

dài fu shuō wǒ xū yào duō xiū xi

The doctor said I need more rest.
5 下功夫 xià gōng fu — to put in effort; to work hard at HSK 6
- 下 to put in; to expend
- 功 work; effort; merit
- 夫 time; skill (forms the word for effort/skill)
Example

他在这个项目上下了很多功夫。

tā zài zhè ge xiàng mù shàng xià le hěn duō gōng fu

He put in a lot of effort on this project.

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6 夫人 fū rén — madam HSK 6
- 夫 husband, man (forming a respectful term)
- 人 person (completing the respectful term for wife/lady)
Example

李先生和他的夫人一起来了。

Lǐ xiān sheng hé tā de fū rén yì qǐ lái le

Mr. Li came with his wife.
7 工夫 gōng fu — time; spare time; skill; effort HSK 6
- 工 work; labor (contributes the sense of effort or activity)
- 夫 suffix (combines with 工 to form the word meaning time or skill)
Example

我今天没有工夫去购物。

wǒ jīn tiān méi yǒu gōng fu qù gòu wù

I don't have time to go shopping today.

妇 fù — wife

1 妇女 fù nǚ — women HSK 5
- 妇 woman (adult woman)
- 女 woman, female
Example

这个组织致力于保护妇女权益。

zhè ge zǔ zhī zhì lì yú bǎo hù fù nǚ quán yì

This organization is dedicated to protecting women's rights.
2 媳妇 xí fu — daughter-in-law HSK 6
- 媳 daughter-in-law
- 妇 woman, married woman
Example

我的媳妇很孝顺。

wǒ de xí fu hěn xiào shùn

My daughter-in-law is very filial.
3 孕妇 yùn fù — pregnant woman HSK 7
- 孕 pregnant, pregnancy
- 妇 woman, married woman
Example

孕妇需要充足的休息和营养。

yùn fù xū yào chōng zú de xiū xi hé yíng yǎng

Pregnant women need adequate rest and nutrition.
4 寡妇 guǎ fu — widow HSK 7
- 寡 widowed, without spouse
- 妇 woman, married woman
Example

那位寡妇独自抚养三个孩子。

nà wèi guǎ fu dú zì fǔ yǎng sān ge hái zi

That widow raised three children alone.

Structure & writing

1 夫 fū — general term for an adult man

夫 is a component in 7 characters

HSK 4

失 shī to lose; to be deprived of (opposite of 得) 肤 fū skin, the outer surface of the human body 规 guī compass (for drawing circles)

HSK 5

扶 fú to support with one's hand to prevent falling, or to help something fallen stand up again 替 tì to replace; to substitute

HSK 6

夹 jiā to clamp; to press from both sides to hold something in place

HSK 7

撵 niǎn to expel, drive away

consists of

1.1 一 yī — the smallest positive integer; one (①used before a measure word ②used before a noun ③indicates a single action or a brief/tentative action)

一 is a component in 58 characters

HSK 1