老婆
lǎopó · HSK 4
wife
👵 老 (old) + 婆 (woman) = old woman, colloquially 'wife'
老 means old and 婆 means old woman or granny. Together 老婆 literally reads 'old woman' but is the everyday affectionate word for one's wife. Compare 老公 (old + grandfather) = husband.
老 — old man 耂 + 匕 (bent figure)
Originally a pictograph of an elderly person with long hair leaning on a cane. The top 耂 depicts the hair and stooped body, while 匕 at the bottom represents the cane or a bent figure. The core meaning 'old' has remained stable since oracle bone script.