Chinese word

巫婆

Pronunciation

Pinyinwū pó

Meaning

  • nounwitch

Example

不要当面叫她巫婆。bú yào dāng miàn jiào tā wū pó

Don't call her a witch to her face.

Illustration for 巫婆 (witch)

More examples

不要轻易把邻居当成巫婆。bú yào qīng yì bǎ lín jū dàng chéng wū pó

Don't casually treat your neighbor as a witch.

Core concept

A female figure linked with spells, supernatural powers, or communication with spirits.

Common phrases

  • 当成巫婆dàng chéng wū pó

    treat as a witch

  • 被称作巫婆bèi chēng zuò wū pó

    be called a witch

  • 小巫婆xiǎo wū pó

    little witch

Similar words

女巫nǚ wū: A female witch in folklore or fiction who uses magic or supernatural powers.
巫女wū nǚ: A woman who performs religious rituals and handles offerings.
巫师wū shī: A person who practices magic or spiritual arts, with no gender implied.

Definition in Chinese

指被认为有魔法或通灵能力的人，传统上多指女性，也可泛指以巫术为业者。zhǐ bèi rèn wéi yǒu mó fǎ huò tōng líng néng lì de rén chuán tǒng shàng duō zhǐ nǚ xìng yě kě fàn zhǐ yǐ wū shù wèi yè zhě

Word origin

巫 (wū, "spirit medium") + 婆 (pó, "older woman") forms a word for a woman associated with magical or spiritual practices.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, applying this label to a real woman often sounds insulting, so it fits folklore and fictional characters better than polite conversation.

Opposites

Related words

  • 巫师wū shīsorcerernoun
  • 巫术wū shùsorcerynoun

Word lists with this word