改嫁

gǎijià
verb #31,192

Meanings

  1. 1 to remarry (of a woman, after divorce or widowhood)
  2. 2 to take a new husband

Examples

Tā zhàngfū qùshì hòu dì-èr nián gǎijià le.
She remarried the year after her husband died.
Zài gǔdài, guǎfù gǎijià huì shòudào fēiyì.
In ancient times, a widow remarrying would face criticism.

Tips

culture
改嫁 specifically applies to women — 'change' + 'a woman marries' (literally, 'be given to a household'). For men remarrying, the parallel verb is 续弦 (xùxián, 'replace the broken zither string', poetic) or simply 再婚 (zàihūn, 'remarry', gender-neutral). In imperial-era Confucian thought, widow chastity (寡妇) was idealized and 改嫁 carried social stigma — the Song-dynasty Neo-Confucians especially condemned it. Modern law and society treat it as a matter-of-fact choice.
mistakes
Don't use 改嫁 for a man taking a new wife; it sounds wrong. Default to gender-neutral 再婚 if you're not sure.

Stroke Order

gǎi
jià