袋 qiè
noun | pronoun
: wife of an inferior rank, concubine
: I, your servant (deprecatory self-reference for women)
Kun Reading
妾 | めかけ mekake OR そばめ sobame
noun
: mistress; kept woman; concubine
妾 | わらわ warawa
pronoun | female term
: I; me
On Reading
ショウ shou
妾侍qie4shi4: maids and concubines
侍妾 shi4qie4: concubine
妻妾 qi1qie4: wives and concubines (of a polygamous man); harem [さいしょう saishou: one’s wife and mistress(es)]
姬妾 ji1qie4 : concubine
寵[宠]妾 chong3qie4: favored concubine
[愛妾 | あいしょう aishou:beloved concubine (e.g. of the shogun)OR
寵姫 | ちょうき chouki: one’s favorite mistress]
納[纳]妾 na4qie4: to take a concubine
臣妾 chen2qie4: male and female servants [しんしょう shinshou]
Japanese common word | expression | idiom
男妾 | だんしょう danshou: male paramour
一盗二婢三妾四妓五妻 | いっとうにひさんしょうしぎごさい
ittou nihi sanshou shigi gosai
: most thrilling relationships for a man: 1. stealing another man’s wife, 2. a maidservant, 3. a mistress, 4. a prostitute, 5. his own wife
Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom
寵妾滅妻 [宠妾灭妻] chong3 qie4 mie4 qi1
: favor the concubine and do away with the wife; spoil one’s mistress and neglect one’s wife
会意 Associative Compound.
Woman 女 (nü3: woman; feminine radical 38)
marked 辛 (xin1: bitter, laborious) as a slave, representing its original meaning.
立 (li4: to stand) + 女 (nü3: woman; feminine radical 38)
= a woman who stands when her husband or wives of superior status are present; therefore 妾 qie4: concubine.
Examples:
none applicable
Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary
