ér nǚ
sons and daughters; children
我有一个儿子和一个女儿。
wǒ yǒu yī gè ér zi hé yī gè nǚ ér.
I have a son and a daughter.
我的儿女都很有出息。
wǒ de ér nǚ dōu hěn yǒu chū xi.
My children are all very promising.
我为我的儿女感到骄傲。
wǒ wèi wǒ de ér nǚ gǎn dào jiāo ào.
I am proud of my children.
子女 (zǐ nǚ)
children
儿女双全 (ér nǚ shuāng quán)
having both sons and daughters
父母 (fùmǔ)
parents
长辈 (zhǎngbèi)
elders
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The Chinese word 儿女 (érnǚ) is composed of two characters: 儿 (ér), meaning "son" or "child", and 女 (nǚ), meaning "daughter" or "girl". Together, they form a compound word that refers to one's children, regardless of gender.The character 儿 (ér) is derived from the ancient Chinese character 子 (zǐ), which also means "son" or "child". The addition of the radical 宀 (mián), which represents a roof, to the character 子 indicates that a child is someone who lives under the same roof as their parents.The character 女 (nǚ) is derived from the ancient Chinese character 女 (nǚ), which also means "daughter" or "girl". The addition of the radical 宀 (mián) to the character 女 indicates that a daughter is someone who is protected and cared for by her parents.When combined, the characters 儿 (ér) and 女 (nǚ) form the compound word 儿女 (érnǚ), which refers to one's children, regardless of gender. This word is commonly used in Chinese to express affection for one's children or to refer to them in a general sense.
