(xiū nǚ) - nun in Mandarin
xiūnǚTraditional: 修女
Translation
nun
Word origin
修 (xiū, to cultivate or to practise, as in religious discipline) plus 女 (nǚ, woman). Coined for the Catholic sister, alongside 神父 for the priest.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 修 (xiū, to cultivate, to practise) + 女 (nǚ, woman)
Stroke order
修
女
Examples
。
That nun looks after patients in the hospital.
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The nuns pray every morning.
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When she was young she wanted to be a nun.
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This school was set up by nuns.
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The nun gave us a cup of hot tea.
修女 (xiū nǚ) is a nun in the Christian sense: a Catholic or Anglican sister, the woman in the habit. 修 here carries its religious meaning of cultivating a practice, the same 修 as in 修行.
The word is neutral and respectful, and it takes 位 as its polite measure word. It shows up far more in translated fiction and in films than in ordinary conversation, which is worth knowing when you are guessing register.
The trap is assuming it covers every nun. A Buddhist nun is 尼姑 or the more formal 比丘尼, and calling one 修女 is a small but noticeable category error. 修女 belongs to the Christian vocabulary that Mandarin built in the missionary era, next to 教堂 and 上帝.
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修女: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "修女" (nun): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 60.