women of dubious character; meddling women; gossips
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
women of dubious character; meddling busybodies; gossipy women (originally referring to nine female occupations in old China)
derogatoryOriginally referred to three types of nuns/fortune-tellers (gū) and six types of female brokers/midwives/healers (pó) in Yuan dynasty China. Now used pejoratively to describe meddling women who gossip or engage in improper activities. The term carries a negative connotation implying busyness about others' affairs.
Cūn村
lǐ里
nà那
xiē些
sān三
gū姑
liù六
pó婆
zhěng整
tiān天
jù聚
zài在
yì一
qǐ起
shuō说
cháng长
dào道
duǎn短
。
Those village gossips gather all day long to tattle about others.
Tā她
shì是
gè个
zhèng正
jīng经
shēng生
yì意
rén人
，
bù不
shì是
shén什
me么
sān三
gū姑
liù六
pó婆
。
She is a proper businesswoman, not some meddling busybody.
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Jǐn尽
liàng量
bì避
miǎn免
hé和
nà那
xiē些
ài爱
bān搬
nòng弄
shì是
fēi非
de的
sān三
gū姑
liù六
pó婆
lái来
wǎng往
。
Try to avoid associating with those meddling women who love to spread gossip.
Yuán元
dài代
de的
Táo陶
Zōng宗
yí仪
zài在
《
Chuò辍
gēng耕
lù录
》
zhōng中
jì记
zǎi载
le了
sān三
gū姑
liù六
pó婆
de的
jù具
tǐ体
suǒ所
zhǐ指
。
Tao Zongyi of the Yuan dynasty recorded the specific referents of the nine female occupations in his 'Chuo Geng Lu'.