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Wiktionary

女士

Chinese

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female; woman; daughter scholar; warrior; knight
trad. (女士) 女 士
simp. #(女士) 女 士
alternative forms 女仕
anagram 士女

Etymology

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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.]
釐尔女士，从以孙子。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
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.

(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

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Noun

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女士

  1. lady
  2. Ms.; Miss

Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of “lady”): 男士 (nánshì)
  • (antonym(s) of “Miss”): (Guangzhou Cantonese, dated) 姑娘 (gu1 noeng4)

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Sino-Xenic (女士):
  • → Vietnamese: nữ sĩ (女士)

See also

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