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伯母 (bó mǔ) — wife of father's elder brother; paternal aunt (by marriage); polite term of address for a woman about one's mother's age

Definition

Father's elder brother's wife (paternal aunt by marriage). A kinship term, not just an address — use 大妈 for the generic respectful address to any older woman. Pairs with 伯父 (her husband).

noun
wife of father's elder brotherpaternal aunt (by marriage)polite term of address for a woman about one's mother's age
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 伯母。
    Wǒ bó mǔ duì wǒ hěn hǎo.
    My aunt is very good to me.
  • 伯母，？
    bó mǔ, Qǐng wèn shū diàn zěn me zǒu?
    Aunt, excuse me, how do I get to the bookstore?
  • 伯母。
    Wǒ bó mǔ jīng cháng gěi wǒ men zuò hǎo chī de.
    My aunt often cooks delicious food for us.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái伯bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伯 pairs 人 (person) with 白, which gives its sound.

Open 伯 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 母 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Family & Kinship

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