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保姆 (bǎo mǔ) — nanny (childcare); housekeeper (domestic help)

Definition

保姆 is the standard word for a paid domestic worker, usually a nanny or housekeeper. Use 阿姨 only as an informal address (often by kids or families); use 管家 for a higher-status butler or estate manager.

noun
nanny (childcare)housekeeper (domestic help)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 保姆。
    Tā zài yì jiā yǒu qián rén jiā lǐ zuò bǎo mǔ.
    She works as a nanny for a wealthy family.
  • 保姆。
    Wǒ men jiā de bǎo mǔ měi zhōu lái sān cì dǎ sǎo wèi shēng.
    Our housekeeper comes three times a week to clean.
  • 保姆？
    Qǐng yí wèi bǎo mǔ zhào gù lǎo rén xū yào duō shǎo qián?
    How much does it cost to hire a caregiver for an elderly person?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

保bǎocare for
姆mǔnanny

保 means care for, 姆 means nanny; together they mean a woman who cares for children or the home.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

Open 保 →

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
女女nǚfemale
Sound part声符shēngfú
母
母mǔ姆
Same sound today

姆 pairs 女 (female) on the left with 母 on the right, and 母 gives the sound.

Appears in
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