'Jià zhuāng' literally combines 嫁 (jià), meaning 'to marry (a woman)' — specifically indicating the bride’s perspective — and 妆 (zhuāng), meaning 'makeup' or 'adornment', but historically extended to mean 'things prepared for adornment or readiness'. Together, 嫁妆 refers to the property, money, goods, or assets a bride’s family provides when she marries. Traditionally, this included furniture, bedding, clothing, jewelry, and sometimes even cash or real estate — all intended to support her new life and signal her family’s status and goodwill toward the groom’s family.

In modern China, while arranged marriages have declined and legal reforms emphasize gender equality, the custom of giving some form of jià zhuāng persists, especially in rural areas or among families valuing tradition. It is often negotiated before marriage and may be recorded formally. Unlike the Western concept of 'dowry', jià zhuāng is culturally specific: it belongs solely to the bride and remains her personal property, even after divorce — a point reinforced by China’s Marriage Law.