姥 lǎo maternal grandmother
How to remember 姥: 女 woman + 老 old = maternal grandmother. The woman on the old bicycle who brings the twins dumplings every Sunday is their maternal grandmother.
Component breakdown
姥 = 女 woman + 老 old
- 女 woman
- 老 old
The woman on the old bicycle who brings the twins dumplings every Sunday is their maternal grandmother.
How it is used
- Bound character appearing only in 姥姥 (lǎolao), maternal grandmother, and 姥爷 (lǎoye): maternal grandfather.
- These are the Northern Chinese / Beijing colloquial terms for mother's parents.
- Southern China and Taiwan more commonly use 外婆 (wàipó) and 外公 (wàigōng) for the same relations.
- Regional choice, not a meaning difference, both refer to the same family members.