zou1 hong1糟糠
Jyutpingzou1 hong1
Yalejōu hōng
Definition
Poor food or frugal diet; a wife who has shared her husband's hardships.
- literarypoor food; frugal diet
- figurativea wife who has shared her husband's hardships during times of poverty
writtenpeoplefamily
How it's used
This term carries a strong sense of moral loyalty and shared history. It is almost exclusively used in the phrase 糟糠之妻 to describe a spouse who stayed through hardship, reflecting traditional values about not abandoning one's partner after achieving success. It is quite literary and formal, so you will rarely hear it in casual, everyday banter.
Examples
That couple really went through thick and thin together.
Who would ever abandon the wife who stood by them through poverty?
Related words
Common phrases
a wife who shared one's days of poverty
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe just any wife or partner. It specifically implies a history of shared poverty or struggle, so using it for a spouse met after one has already become wealthy would be incorrect and confusing.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
