Bao Mu (保姆, ''Ama'') is a term for "

mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

" in Mother#Synonyms_and_translations, several different languages and contexts, see

mama and papa In linguistics, mama and papa are considered a special case of false cognates. In many languages of the world, sequences of sounds similar to and mean "mother" and "father", usually but not always in that order. This is thought to be a coincid ...

. It has also become a term for the job of a combined nanny and housemaid, see

Amah (occupation) An amah or ayah (, pt, ama, german: Amme, Medieval Latin: ''amma''; or ''ayah'', pt, aia, Latin: ''avia'', Tagalog: ''yaya'') is a girl or woman employed by a family to clean, look after children, and perform other domestic tasks. ''Amah'' i ...

In China

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

, ''amah'' ("grandmother") is often used as an equivalent of the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

word "

nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...

"—the term does not refer to a

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, or if she is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cu ...

or a servant, but rather a "friend" who helps a family to raise a child. This is a common occupation in China. However some parts, still used ''amah'' as ("grandmother") and it is not considered rude. During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, the word ''amah'' was used as an informal and poetic title for the Taoist goddess

Queen Mother of the West The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. From her name alone some of her most importan ...

. ''Amah'' is the

Mosuo The Mosuo (; also spelled Moso, Mosso or Musuo), often called the Naxi among themselves, are a small ethnic group living in China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, close to the border with Tibet. Consisting of a population of approximately 40,000, ...

term for mother.It is used in this way in

Yang Erche Namu Yang Erche Namu (born August 1966) is a Chinese writer and singer of Mosuo ethnicity. Early life Yang Erche Namu was born in a small village near Lugu Lake, in northern Yunnan province, but left at age thirteen; after arriving in neighbouring Y ...

's memoi
''Leaving Mother Lake''
It is a specific Hokkien honorific.

References

Motherhood {{parenting-stub YES