鸨母 (bǎo mǔ) — (historical) brothel madame, procuress

Definition

A historical/literary term for the woman who ran a brothel and recruited or managed prostitutes. Found mostly in classical-style novels and period dramas, not in everyday modern Chinese.

noun
(historical) brothel madameprocuress
Easily confused

Examples

  • 鸨母。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ de bǎo mǔ shì gè xīn hěn shǒu là de nǚ rén.
    The madame in the novel is a ruthless woman.
  • 鸨母。
    Gǔ dài wén xué zhōng cháng miáo xiě bǎo mǔ de xíng xiàng.
    Ancient literature often depicts the figure of the brothel madame.
  • 鸨母。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng lǐ de bǎo mǔ yóu yí wèi lǎo yǎn yuán bàn yǎn.
    The madame in this movie is played by an older actress.

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.

鸨bǎoa kind of bird
母mǔmother

The 鸨 specifies the kind of 母; 母 gives the idea of a mother-like woman, together naming the madame.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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