noun

Meanings

  1. 1 an old woman (literary)
  2. 2 to brood over; to warm and protect (classical)

Examples

Lùbiān zuò zhe yí wèi mài chá de lǎo yù.
By the roadside sat an old woman selling tea.

Tips

history
barely stands alone today; it appears in the literary word 老妪 ('old woman') and the classical 妪伏 ('a hen brooding eggs'). The woman radical gives the meaning; supplies the sound.
register
Literary. Everyday Chinese says 老太太 or 老妇; keeps a written, slightly archaic flavour.

Components

radical
woman
(woman) is the indexing radical and supplies the meaning of : an elderly woman, also a mother-hen brooding her young.
phonetic
phonetic element
supplies the sound for , with the reading drifting from its source; it carries no meaning here.

Stroke Order