夫人 fūrén lady
lady; madam; Mrs.
How to remember 夫人: 夫 husband + 人 person = lady.
Characters
How it is used
- A respectful 'Madam / Mrs. / Lady' for a married woman, especially of standing: 总统夫人 (zǒngtǒng fūrén) the First Lady; 王夫人 (Madam Wang); measure word 位.
- Formal/honorific; you refer to someone's wife politely as 夫人, but call your own wife 太太/妻子, not 夫人.
- Also historical for a nobleman's wife.