婆婆妈妈 (pó pó mā mā) — (r.f., colloquial) fussy, nagging, overly concerned with trivial matters; (r.f., colloquial) indecisive, hesitant, slow to act
Definition
Colloquial set phrase for someone who is fussy, nagging, or indecisive about small things — a single dismissive label for that 'mother-hen' personality.
bound form
(r.f., colloquial) fussy, nagging, overly concerned with trivial matters(r.f., colloquial) indecisivehesitantslow to act
Examples
- 婆婆妈妈，。Tā zhè ge rén tài pó pó mā mā le, yì diǎn xiǎo shì dōu yào shuō bàn tiān.He is way too fussy — he goes on and on about the smallest thing.
- 婆婆妈妈，。Bié zài pó pó mā mā dì cuī wǒ le, wǒ yǐ jīng zài zhǔn bèi le.Stop nagging me already — I'm already getting ready.
- 婆婆妈妈，。Tā zuò shì zǒng shì pó pó mā mā, bàn tiān ná bú dìng zhǔ yì.She's always indecisive when doing things; she can't make up her mind for ages.
Origin
Reduplicated word构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication
A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.
婆 and 妈 refer to women, and together they suggest fussy, hesitant behavior.
Appears in
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