How many centuries have passed since Japanese borrowed that word from Chinese? By the way, in case you're curious, “old lady” can also refer to one’s wife colloquially in English.

Yeah could function as call your partner old girl 😂 (the one you have been married to for ages)

It must have some interesting history to evolve to mean wife :)

well, it has been like this for more than 1000 years back to Tang Dynasty... So it comes for time-honored history and classical Chinese. we just still use it as a daily language.😄

There is a another word:媳妇,also wife😊