公

A related but distinctly different word is, again, grandfather (公).

Yes, the English translation is the same. For visitors who could not read Chinese, our word of the day means, in its literal sense, father of the mother.

But we use it with quite different an implication. While the paternal grandfather (爺) represents authority and we have to follow obediently, our maternal one is a cut lower and implies something local and public. It seems a good old humble figure that we can rely on, while, unfortunately, of whom other delinquent descendants can take the advantage without fulfilling their responsibility.

And there's more. When we say we’re doing something for our paternal grandfather, our back is straight and our face has confidence. There seems a special permit in our wallet and we can do anything we feel convenient. But, when we say we’re doing things for our maternal equivalent, our spine becomes crooked, our face is pulled long, and we feel tons of (others’) responsibility falling on our shoulder.

This is the real type of sexual discrimination.