婆

pó
女 + 波

Definitions

pó (noun) grandmother; mother-in-law
pó (noun) elderly woman; matron

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 波 represents the sound.

Semantic: 女 Phonetic: 波

About

The character 婆 is a phono-semantic compound: 女 (woman) provides the meaning and 波 (bō) the sound. Its original sense is an elderly woman, grandmother, or older female relative. Over time, the meaning broadened to senior female roles in family and social hierarchies, most notably a husband's mother or mother-in-law. It also appears in compound words for traditional female occupations, spirit mediums, and colloquial terms for a wife.

Example Sentences Hide

我的老婆很温柔。

Wǒ de lǎopo hěn wēnróu.

My wife is very gentle.

外婆给我讲故事。

Wàipó gěi wǒ jiǎng gùshi.

My maternal grandmother tells me stories.

婆婆和媳妇关系很好。

Pópo hé xífu guānxi hěn hǎo.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have a good relationship.

她嫁入了富裕的婆家。

Tā jià rù le fùyù de pójiā.

She married into a wealthy husband's family.

婆罗门是印度的一种姓。

Póluómén shì Yìndù de yī zhǒng xìng.

Brahmin is a caste in India.

树叶在风中婆娑起舞。

Shùyè zài fēng zhōng pósuō qǐwǔ.

The leaves dance swirling in the wind.

老婆婆慢慢地走过街道。

Lǎo pópo mànman de zǒu guò jiēdào.

The old woman slowly walked across the street.

婆媳之间的矛盾很难解决。

Póxí zhī jiān de máodùn hěn nán jiějué.

The conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are hard to resolve.

Related Characters

Component: 女

要 如 好 她 女 安 始 委 威 妈 姐 娘 妇 婚

Component: 波

啵 菠

Example Words

外婆 老婆 公婆 婆婆 婆家 阿婆 三姑六婆 八婆 叔婆 大老婆 太婆 姑婆 姨婆 婆姨 婆娑 婆娘 婆婆妈妈 婆媳 婆子 婆心 婆罗洲 婆罗门 媒婆 孟婆