老鸨 (lǎo bǎo) — procuress; madam

Definition

Historical term for a woman who runs a brothel or procures women for clients. Culturally loaded and almost only seen in period dramas or older literature.

noun
procuressmadam

Examples

  • 老鸨。
    Nà ge lǎo bǎo bèi zhuā le.
    That madam was arrested.
  • 老鸨。
    Tā yǐ qián shì gè lǎo bǎo.
    She used to be a madam.
  • 老鸨。
    Diàn yǐng lǐ de lǎo bǎo hěn xiōng.
    The madam in the movie is very fierce.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

老lǎoprefix
鸨bǎobird

老 gives a familiar colloquial feel to 鸨, a bird word, naming a madam.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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