Chinese word

公婆

Pronunciation

Pinyingōng pó

Meaning

  • nounparents-in-law

Example

下个月我的公婆要来住一周。xià gè yuè wǒ de gōng pó yào lái zhù yì zhōu

My parents-in-law are coming to stay for a week next month.

Illustration for 公婆 (parents-in-law)

More examples

春节我会和公婆一起吃年夜饭。chūn jié wǒ huì hé gōng pó yì qǐ chī nián yè fàn

During the Spring Festival, I will have New Year's Eve dinner with my parents-in-law.

Core concept

The parental pair connected to a husband, treated as a single family relationship.

Common phrases

  • 看望公婆kàn wàng gōng pó

    visit parents-in-law

  • 照顾公婆zhào gù gōng pó

    take care of parents-in-law

  • 和公婆一起住hé gōng pó yì qǐ zhù

    live with parents-in-law

Similar words

公公gōng gōng: A husband's father, used as a familiar spoken form of address.
婆婆pó po: A husband's mother, used as a familiar spoken form of address.

Definition in Chinese

指丈夫的父母，合称公公和婆婆。zhǐ zhàng fū de fù mǔ hé chēng gōng gōng hé pó po

Word origin

The word joins 公 (gōng, "elder man") and 婆 (pó, "older woman"), matching the male and female elder roles in the two individual terms for a husband's parents.

Usage tips

  • When a conversation compares the husband's family with the wife's family, the side-specific wording carries information that English usually leaves to context.

Opposites

  • 岳父母yuè fù mǔwife's parentsnoun

Word lists with this word