Reference to 'wife' in Chinese

[david_dawei]

It seems like the correct pinyin would be qi (not chi). But, when I look it up, it's always spelled 'chi'.

look it up where?

 

A few possible explanations:

1. It is following the wades-giles syntax... but I checked this and it's not so. Wades-Giles would of been: ch¡¯ih tzu

 

2. someone is trying to simply convey it in phonetic...

 

I have talked to slightly older chinese who usually don't know pinyin very well... so when they try to use pinyin they even simply go by the sound and end up with more phonetic than pinyin...

 

my wife, who learned pinyin, will often ask me the pinyin since I am more accustomed to transferring a sound to an alphabet faster than she can... I just can't tell her the tone

[Li & John]

Lao Po is an old fashioned way of calling the wife, like the generations of our fathers', they called their wives Lao Po, but it doesnt necessairly mean old woman.

 

Qi Zi is the correct Pin Yin for wife. But a lot of Americans cant pronounce Qi, so they change any sound with Q into Ch, to make it easier for Americans.

Edited January 10, 2009 by Li & John (see edit history)

[SheLikesME?]

I just call Lusheng by her name which is Lusheng?

I would call her Lusheng too but it aint her name. I found the word "wife" to be useful too.