妇女
fùnǔ · HSK 6
woman
👩 妇 = woman + 女 = woman; doubled = womankind collectively
妇 (fù) means married woman or wife, and 女 (nǚ) means woman or female. Stacking the two woman-words together broadens the sense from one individual to women as a group — femininity, womankind.
女 — pictograph of a kneeling woman
女 is a pictograph originating in oracle bone script, depicting a person kneeling with arms crossed in front, a posture associated with women in ancient China. Over time the form was simplified and squared off into the modern character. Its core meaning of 'woman' or 'female' has remained stable for over three thousand years.