孀

孀	U+5B40, 孀 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5B40

← 嬿
[U+5B3F]

CJK Unified Ideographs

孁 →
[U+5B41]

Translingual

Han character

孀 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+17, 20 strokes, cangjie input 女一月山 (VMBU), four-corner 4146₃, composition ⿰女霜)

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 273, character 43
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6885
Dae Jaweon: page 542, character 18
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1090, character 7
Unihan data for U+5B40

Chinese

trad.		孀
simp. ^#		孀
alternative forms		霜㜀

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (相) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
相	slaŋ, slaŋs
廂	*slaŋ
湘	*slaŋ
緗	*slaŋ
箱	*slaŋ
葙	*slaŋ
想	*slaŋʔ
霜	*sraŋ
孀	*sraŋ
鸘	*sraŋ
驦	*sraŋ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *sraŋ): semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 霜 (OC *sraŋ).

Etymology

Zhang (2000) relates it to 喪 (OC *smaːŋ, “mourning; funeral”), 喪 (OC *smaːŋs, “to lose”) and 霜 (OC *sraŋ, “frost (which causes loss)”). However, Schuessler (2007) considers these three words etymologically unrelated.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shuāng (shuang¹)

(Zhuyin): ㄕㄨㄤ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): soeng¹

(Taishan, Wiktionary): song¹
Hakka (Meixian, Guangdong): song¹
Northern Min (KCR): só̤ng
Eastern Min (BUC): sŏng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): song / sng

(Teochew, Peng'im): seng¹
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹saon
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): xyan¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shuāng
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄨㄤ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shuang
  - Wade–Giles: shuang¹
  - Yale: shwāng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shuang
  - Palladius: шуан (šuan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: soeng¹
  - Yale: sēung
  - Cantonese Pinyin: soeng¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: sêng¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sœːŋ⁵⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: song¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɔŋ³³/
Hakka
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: song¹
  - Sinological IPA: /sɔŋ⁴⁴/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: só̤ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɔŋ⁵⁴/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: sŏng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /souŋ⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: song
  - Tâi-lô: song
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sofng
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sɔŋ³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /sɔŋ⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sng
  - Tâi-lô: sng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sngf
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /sŋ̍⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: seng¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sṳng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɯŋ³³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹saon
  - MiniDict: saon^平
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹saan
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /sɑ̃⁵³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: xyan¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕy̯æn³³/

Middle Chinese: srjang

Rime
Character	孀
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	陽 (105)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	色莊切
Baxter	srjang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʃɨɐŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ʃiɐŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ʃiɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʂɨaŋ/
Li Rong	/ʃiaŋ/
Wang Li	/ʃĭaŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʂi̯aŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shuāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	song¹

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*sraŋ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	孀
Reading #	1/1
No.	13588
Phonetic component	相
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	霜
Old Chinese	/*sraŋ/

Definitions

孀

widow

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 寡婦 (“widow”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		寡, 寡婦, 寡妻, 嫠, 嫠婦, 孀, 孀妻, 孀婦, 遺孀, 孤孀, 孤嫠, 寡嫠
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		寡婦, 孤孀
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	寡婦, 半邊人兒, 半邊人
	Taiwan	寡婦
	Ulanhot	寡婦
	Tongliao	寡婦
	Chifeng	寡婦
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	寡婦
	Harbin	寡婦
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	寡婦
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	寡婦兒
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	寡婦
	Wanrong	寡婦
	Xi'an	寡婦
	Xining	寡婦
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	女寡婦
	Masanchin (Shaanxi Dungan)	女寡婦
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	寡婦
	Bayanhot	寡婦
	Lanzhou	寡婦
	Ürümqi	寡婦
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	寡母子, 寡母兒, 寡婦
	Wuhan	寡婦
	Guiyang	寡婆, 寡婦
	Guilin	寡婦
	Guanyang	寡婆子
	Liuzhou	寡母婆, 寡婦婆, 寡婦
	Dagudi (Maliba)	寡婦
	Reshuitang (Longling)	寡婦婆
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	老寡婦
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	寡婦
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	寡婦
	Yangzhou	半邊人, 寡婦
	Xinghua	半邊人
	Hefei	寡婦
Cantonese	Guangzhou	寡母婆, 寡婆
	Hong Kong	寡母婆
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	寡婦婆
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	守寡婆
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	守寡婆
	Taishan	寡婆
	Dongguan	守寡婆
	Yangjiang	寡婦婆
	Xinyi	寡母婆
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	寡母婆
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	寡母婆
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	寡婦
Gan	Nanchang	寡婦, 半邊人
	Lichuan	寡婦
	Pingxiang	寡婦, 寡婦婆
Hakka	Meixian	寡婦
	Yudu	寡婦婆
	Hong Kong	守寡婆
	Sabah (Longchuan)	寡婦婆
	Senai (Huiyang)	守寡婆
Huizhou	Jixi	寡婦, 寡婦老嫗
Jin	Taiyuan	寡婦
	Xinzhou	寡婦, 守寡哩
	Taibus (Baochang)	寡婦
	Linhe	寡婦
	Jining	寡婦
	Hohhot	寡婦
	Baotou	寡婦
	Dongsheng	寡婦
	Haibowan	寡婦
Northern Min	Jian'ou	守寡嫲
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	守寡諸娘儂, 孀居儂, 孀居
Southern Min	Xiamen	守寡儂, 守寡的, 守寡查某
	Quanzhou	守寡儂
	Zhangzhou	守寡儂
	Chaozhou	守寡個
	Shantou	寡婦
	Bangkok (Teochew)	寡婦
	Chiang Mai (Teochew)	寡婦
	Hat Yai (Teochew)	寡婦
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	寡婦
	Wenchang	守節
	Haikou	死老公個
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Sanxiang)	寡婆
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	寡母婆
Wu	Shanghai	孤孀, 寡婦
	Shanghai (Chongming)	寡婦, 單邊人
	Suzhou	孤孀
	Wuxi	寡婦
	Danyang	寡婦
	Hangzhou	寡婦
	Ningbo	孤孀老𡢿, 孤孀
	Wenzhou	守寡老人兒, 守寡老安人, 單邊人
	Jinhua	寡婦
Xiang	Changsha	寡婦
	Loudi	寡婦
	Shuangfeng	單身寡婦, 寡婦