子母

zǐmǔ

noun

Meanings

1 mother and child
2 principal and interest (finance)
3 a larger object paired with a smaller one of the same kind

Characters

child / small one

mother / main one

Examples

这是一对子母锁。

Zhè shì yī duì zǐmǔ suǒ.

This is a paired (parent-and-child) lock.

古人把本金叫做母，利息叫做子。

Gǔrén bǎ běnjīn jiàozuò mǔ, lìxī jiàozuò zǐ.

The ancients called the principal 'mother' and the interest 'child'.

这台子母机一共可以连接八个分机。

Zhè tái zǐmǔ jī yīgòng kěyǐ liánjiē bā ge fēnjī.

This base-and-handset phone can connect up to eight extensions.

Tips

usage

子母 (lit. 'child-mother') is a productive prefix for paired big/small objects: 子母机 cordless phone (base + handset), 子母扣 snap fastener, 子母弹 cluster bomb. The 'mother' is always the larger or primary unit.

history

In classical finance 母 was the principal (本金) and 子 was the interest (利息) — this is the origin of the modern term 母金 'principal' still used in some contexts.

Stroke Order

子 zǐ

母 mǔ