old-time female broker; woman trader in people
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
a woman who brokered the buying and selling of people (maids, concubines, or slaves) in old times; female human trafficker
archaicHistorical term with strong negative connotations, referring to women who acted as middlemen in the trade of servants, concubines, or slaves, typically profiting from both parties. Common in pre-modern Chinese society and literature.
Jiù旧
shí时
de的
yá牙
pó婆
cháng常
zài在
qióng穷
kǔ苦
rén人
jiā家
hé和
fù富
hù户
zhī之
jiān间
qiān牵
xiàn线
，
mǎi买
mài卖
bì婢
nǚ女
。
In old times, female brokers often acted as go-betweens between poor families and wealthy households to buy and sell maidservants.
Zhè这
zhuāng桩
jiāo交
yì易
zhōng中
，
yá牙
pó婆
shōu收
qǔ取
le了
bù不
fěi菲
de的
zhōng中
jiè介
fèi费
。
In this transaction, the broker took a hefty commission fee.
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Zài在
gǔ古
dài代
xiǎo小
shuō说
lǐ里
，
yá牙
pó婆
wǎng往
wǎng往
bèi被
miáo描
huì绘
chéng成
lì利
yù欲
xūn熏
xīn心
de的
jué角
sè色
。
In ancient novels, female brokers were often portrayed as characters blinded by greed.