巫婆 (wū pó) — witch, sorceress | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A folk-tale word for a 'witch' — typically an old woman with magical powers in stories, legends, or fairy tales, not a modern Wiccan practitioner.

noun

witchsorceress

Measure word · 个

Examples

巫婆。
Gù shi lǐ de wū pó zǒng shì zhù zài sēn lín shēn chù de xiǎo wū lǐ.
The witch in the story always lives in a small hut deep in the forest.
巫婆。
Hái zi men dōu hài pà nà ge huì shī mó fǎ de wū pó.
The children are all afraid of that witch who can cast spells.
巫婆。
Chuán shuō zhōng yǒu yí wèi wū pó néng yòng cǎo yào zhì bìng.
Legend has it that there is a sorceress who can cure illnesses with herbs.

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.

巫wūsorcerer

巫 names a sorcerer, and 婆 shows the person is female.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

波女婆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

女女nǚwoman

Sound part声符shēngfú

波

波bō婆pó

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

婆 pairs 女 (woman) with 波, which gives the sound. The 女 part shows the character is about a woman.

Appears in

Mythology & Folklore

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