姑婆

gūpó
noun #35,454

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 grandfather's sister (great-aunt on the paternal side)
  2. 2 a woman's father-in-law's sister
  3. 3 (Cantonese / Taiwanese colloquial) old spinster

Examples

Wǒ gūpó jīnnián bāshí suì le.
My great-aunt turned eighty this year.
Guònián de shíhou wǒmen qù kànwàng gūpó.
At Chinese New Year we visit our great-aunt.

Tips

culture
Chinese kinship terms are precise about generation and side: = father's sister, = grandmother-generation marker. So 姑婆 = 'father's father's sister' — a specific great-aunt, not any older female relative. In Cantonese/Hokkien, 姑婆 historically referred to women who vowed never to marry.

Stroke Order