Definitions

(noun) paternal aunt
(noun) husband's sister; sister-in-law
(adverb) for the time being

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

Structured as a standard phono-semantic compound, 姑 places the female radical 女 on the left to indicate its semantic category of gender and kinship, while 古 on the right serves as the phonetic component. Its primary meaning refers to a father's sister (paternal aunt) and, in traditional usage, a husband's mother. Beyond strict kinship, 姑 can also denote an unmarried young woman or a female religious figure, reflecting a broad application within female-centered social terms.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她是我的

Tā shì wǒ de gūgu.

She is my aunt.

那个娘很漂亮。

Nàge gūniang hěn piàoliang.

That girl is very beautiful.

妈给我买了礼物。

Gūmā gěi wǒ mǎi le lǐwù.

Aunt bought me a gift.

父是一位医生。

Gūfu shì yī wèi yīshēng.

Uncle is a doctor.

我们且相信他吧。

Wǒmen gūqiě xiāngxìn tā ba.

Let's tentatively believe him.

不能息这种错误。

Bù néng gūxī zhè zhǒng cuòwù.

We cannot tolerate this kind of mistake.

婆从乡下回来了。

Gūpó cóng xiāngxià huílai le.

Great-aunt has returned from the countryside.

爷对家人很好。

Gūye duì jiārén hěn hǎo.

The son-in-law is very good to the family.