三姑六婆

Chinese

		three	paternal aunt	six	grandmother; matron; mother-in-law
trad. (三姑六婆)		三	姑	六	婆
simp. #(三姑六婆)		三	姑	六	婆

Etymology

Refers to the three 姑 (gū):

• 尼姑 (nígū, “Buddhist nun”),
• 道姑 (dàogū, “Taoist nun”), and
• 卦姑 (guàgū, “female fortune teller”),

and the six 婆 (pó):

• 牙婆 (yápó, “female human trafficker”),
• 媒婆 (méipó, “female matchmaker”),
• 師婆／师婆 (shīpó, “sorceress”),
• 虔婆 (qiánpó, “female brothel keeper”),
• 藥婆／药婆 (yàopó, “female doctor”), and
• 穩婆／稳婆 (wěnpó, “female midwife”).

In ancient China, women of these occupations often swindled money from people and were not reputable.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sāngūliùpó

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄍㄨ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄆㄛˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ gu¹ luk⁶ po⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sam-ko͘-lio̍k-pô / saⁿ-ko͘-la̍k-pô

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sāngūliùpó
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄍㄨ ㄌㄧㄡˋ ㄆㄛˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanguliòupó
    • Wade–Giles: san¹-ku¹-liu⁴-pʻo²
    • Yale: sān-gū-lyòu-pwó
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanguliowpor
    • Palladius: саньгулюпо (sanʹguljupo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ ku⁵⁵ li̯oʊ̯⁵¹ pʰu̯ɔ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ gu¹ luk⁶ po⁴
    • Yale: sāam gū luhk pòh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ gu¹ luk⁹ po⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ gu¹ lug⁶ po⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ kuː⁵⁵ lʊk̚² pʰɔː²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sam-ko͘-lio̍k-pô
    • Tâi-lô: sam-koo-lio̍k-pô
    • Phofsit Daibuun: samkoliogpooi
    • IPA (Xiamen): /sam⁴⁴⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴ liɔk̚⁴⁻³² po²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: saⁿ-ko͘-la̍k-pô
    • Tâi-lô: sann-koo-la̍k-pô
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sva'kolagpooi
    • IPA (Xiamen): /sã⁴⁴⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴ lak̚⁴⁻³² po²⁴/

Idiom

三姑六婆

1. women with disreputable or illegal professions
2. (figurative) (female) gossipmongers