妾室 (qièshì): concubine

Meanings

1 concubine
2 secondary wife (in imperial-era households)

Characters

妾

Examples

他纳了一房妾室。

Tā nà le yī fáng qièshì.

He took a concubine.

正室与妾室的地位差别很大。

Zhèngshì yǔ qièshì de dìwèi chābié hěn dà.

The status of the principal wife and concubine differed greatly.

Tips

history

In Chinese family law before 1950, a household had one 正室 (zhèngshì, principal wife) but could have multiple 妾室. Wives entered through formal marriage; concubines through 纳 (nà) — a transactional 'taking in.' The 1950 Marriage Law abolished concubinage.

register

Historical / literary. Common in costume dramas (古装剧) and Qing-dynasty novels. Modern Chinese has no living equivalent — illicit relationships use 二奶 (èrnǎi, mistress) or 小三 (xiǎosān, the third party).