曾祖母
zēngzǔmǔ
The English phrase "great grandma" is translated into Chinese as 曾祖母 (zēngzǔmǔ).
The term refers to the mother of one's grandparent.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 曾祖母 is composed of 曾 (zēng) meaning 'once/formerly', 祖 (zǔ) meaning 'ancestor/grandparent' and 母 (mǔ) meaning 'mother'.
Which one should you use?
While 曾祖母 specifically refers to the paternal great-grandmother (the mother of one's paternal grandfather), you can specify the maternal great-grandmother (the mother of one's maternal grandmother) by adding the prefix 外 to form 外曾祖母. 太祖母 is another formal way to say great-grandmother, often used in more traditional or literary contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In spoken, informal Chinese, people often use 太奶奶 instead of the formal 曾祖母. 外曾祖母 is a formal term for great grandmother.
How do you pronounce it?
zēngzǔmǔ
Did you know?
- The prefix 外 (wài) used in 外曾祖母 literally means 'outside', reflecting an ancient patriarchal view that maternal relatives belonged to a different family circle.
- If you were to address your great-grandmother's mother, you would need to add another layer of generational markers, creating a complex chain of titles that English lacks.
- When using the informal term 太奶奶 (tàinǎinai), the character 太 (tài) is not functioning as 'too' or 'extremely', but rather as an honorific marker for an elder.
Examples in context
- 我的曾祖母是一位很慈祥的人。Wǒ de zēngzǔmǔ shì yī wèi hěn cíxiáng de rén.My great grandma is a very kind person.
- 曾祖母的生日快到了。Zēngzǔmǔ de shēngrì kuài dào le.Great grandma's birthday is coming soon.
- 你还记得你的曾祖母吗？Nǐ hái jìde nǐ de zēngzǔmǔ ma?Do you still remember your great grandma?
Example conversation
Junjie and Yuting are looking at a family photo album.
- 俊杰 Junjie你看，这位是我的曾祖母。Nǐ kàn, zhè wèi shì wǒ de zēngzǔmǔ.Look, this person is my great grandma.
- 雨婷 Yuting她看起来很慈祥。Tā kàn qǐlái hěn cíxiáng.She looks very kind.
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，她对我很好。Shì de, tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.Yes, she is very good to me.
- 雨婷 Yuting真是太幸运了，俊杰。Zhēn shì tài xìngyùn le, Jùnjié.That is really lucky, Junjie.
