女士
Chinese
| female; woman; daughter | scholar; warrior; knight | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (女士) | 女 | 士 | |
| simp. #(女士) | 女 | 士 | |
| alternative forms | 女仕 | ||
| anagram | 士女 | ||
Etymology
Originally, the combination was close to the literal meaning, i.e., a female 士 (shì, “person from higher, educated social stratum”), a woman whose character, upbringing, and conduct matched those expected of the 士 class. For example, in the Shijing (《詩·大雅·既醉》):
- 釐爾女士，從以孫子。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Lí ěr nǚshì, cóng yǐ sūnzǐ. [Pinyin]
- There is given you a heroic wife,
And from her shall come [the line of] descendants.
釐尔女士，从以孙子。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Since when has it been used as a title? Can we find early attestations of the usage?”)
Pronunciation
Antonyms
Descendants
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