▁a ▁ma id serv ant ▁or ▁n urs ema id . ▁▁ ▁Vari ants ▁such ▁as ▁Ama h - ch ie h ▁or ▁ma h je h ▁( ch ie h ▁or ▁je h ▁means ▁elder ▁sister ▁in ▁Chinese ▁dialect s ) ▁have ▁also ▁been ▁used ▁in ▁some ▁countries . ▁In ▁ ▁China , ▁am ah ▁may ▁even ▁refer ▁to ▁any ▁old ▁lady ▁in ▁general . ▁In ▁Taiwan ▁and ▁sout he astern ▁China ▁where ▁the ▁Minn an ▁language ▁is ▁spoken , ▁am ah ▁refers ▁to ▁the ▁pat ernal ▁grand m other . ▁Similar ▁terms ▁in ▁the ▁same ▁context ▁includes ▁ah - y ee ▁( A unt ), ▁y ee - y ee ▁( a unt ), ▁or ▁j ie - j ie ▁( el der ▁sister ). ▁Since ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 9 0 s , ▁it ▁has ▁become ▁more ▁polit ically ▁correct ▁in ▁some ▁circles ▁to ▁call ▁such ▁a ▁person ▁a ▁' helper ' ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁ma id ▁or ▁ay ah . ▁ ▁Other ▁mean ings ▁During ▁the ▁Tang ▁dynast y ▁in ▁China , ▁the ▁word ▁am ah ▁was ▁used ▁as ▁an ▁inform al ▁and ▁po etic ▁title ▁for ▁the ▁T ao ist ▁god dess , ▁the ▁Queen ▁Mother ▁of ▁the ▁West . ▁ ▁Ama h ▁also ▁means ▁mother ▁in ▁many ▁countries . ▁ ▁In ▁English ▁literature ▁Ama h ▁and ▁ay ah ▁have ▁been ▁adopted ▁as ▁loan words ▁into ▁the ▁English ▁language : ▁ ▁She ▁never ▁remembered ▁seeing ▁familiar ly ▁anything ▁but ▁the ▁dark ▁faces ▁of ▁her ▁Ay ah ▁and