Definitions

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

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "婆" is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the "女" radical at its base, semantically linking it to women, while the upper component, derived from "波", historically functions as a phonetic indicator that has experienced graphical simplification. Etymologically, it originally denoted an old woman in a broad sense, but its meaning narrowed over time to specify familial roles such as mother-in-law or grandmother, and it later acquired informal usage referring to a wife in colloquial expressions.

Example Sentences Hide

我的老很温柔。

Wǒ de lǎopo hěn wēnróu.

My wife is very gentle.

给我讲故事。

Wàipó gěi wǒ jiǎng gùshi.

My maternal grandmother tells me stories.

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.

她嫁入了富裕的家。

Tā jià rù le fùyù de pójiā.

She married into a wealthy husband's family.

罗门是印度的一种姓。

Póluómén shì Yìndù de yī zhǒng xìng.

Brahmin is a caste in India.

树叶在风中娑起舞。

Shùyè zài fēng zhōng pósuō qǐwǔ.

The leaves dance swirling in the wind.

慢慢地走过街道。

Lǎo pópo mànman de zǒu guò jiēdào.

The old woman slowly walked across the street.

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.