家务

The Chinese word 家务 (jiāwù) is composed of two characters: 家 (jiā), meaning "home" or "family", and 务 (wù), meaning "affairs" or "business". Together, they form the compound word 家务, which literally means "home affairs" or "household chores".The character 家 (jiā) has a long history in Chinese, dating back to the oracle bone script of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). In its earliest form, the character 家 depicted a pig under a roof, symbolizing the importance of pigs in the household economy. Over time, the character evolved to its current form, which is composed of the radical 宀 (miàn), meaning "roof", and the phonetic component 豕 (shǐ), meaning "pig".The character 务 (wù) also has a long history in Chinese, dating back to the bronze script of the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1046-771 BC). In its earliest form, the character 务 depicted a person holding a plow, symbolizing the importance of agriculture in the ancient Chinese economy. Over time, the character evolved to its current form, which is composed of the radical 勿 (wù), meaning "not", and the phonetic component 務 (wù), meaning "to do".The combination of the characters 家 (jiā) and 务 (wù) to form the word 家务 (jiāwù) reflects the traditional Chinese view of the home as a place of work and productivity. In Chinese culture, household chores are not seen as a burden, but rather as a way to contribute to the well-being of the family.