The word 老婆 (lǎo pó) for "wife" is formed through a cultural metaphor of enduring companionship. The character 老 (lǎo) means "old", not in the sense of age, but to imply a long-established, familiar, and enduring quality. It is paired with 婆 (pó), which broadly means an older woman or matron. Together, they create a term that affectionately refers to a life partner as one's "old matron" or "enduring woman", conceptually framing the wife as a stable and lifelong companion in the journey of a shared life.