姑
gū
paternal aunt
husband's sister; husband's mother (old); nun; for the time being (literary)
woman (女) + ancient (古) = the old woman of the family
The paternal aunt is the woman who belongs to the older, original family — the one who came before you on your father's side. The same sense of an elder female role extends to nuns and mothers-in-law, all figures of established female authority.
我姑每年都会来我家过节。
wǒ gū měi nián dōu huì lái wǒ jiā guò jié。
my paternal aunt comes to our home every year to celebrate the holiday.
他姑出家当了尼姑，住在山上的寺庙里。
tā gū chū jiā dāng le ní gū，zhù zài shān shàng de sì miào lǐ。
his aunt left home and became a nun, living in a temple on the mountain.
Words with 姑
道姑
dào gū
Daoist nun
黄花姑娘
huáng huā gū niang
maiden
七大姑八大姨
qī dà gū bā dà yí
distant relatives
三姑六婆
sān gū liù pó
women with disreputable or illegal professions (idiom)
仙姑
xiān gū
female immortal
大姑
dà gū
father's oldest sister
姑夫
gū fu
father's sister's husband
姑婆芋
gū pó yù
night-scented lily (Alocasia odora)
姑丈
gū zhàng
husband of paternal aunt
姑且
gū qiě
for the time being; tentatively
姑奶奶
gū nǎi nai
paternal great-aunt (father's father's sister)
姑妄言之
gū wàng yán zhī
to just talk for the sake of talking