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伯伯 (bó bo) — father's elder brother; paternal uncle (specifically one's father's older brother)

Definition

Casual, spoken term for your father's older brother. More colloquial than the written 伯父; 叔叔 is for the younger brother.

noun
father's elder brotherpaternal uncle (specifically one's father's older brother)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 伯伯。
    Wǒ bó bo shì yī shēng.
    My father's elder brother is a doctor.
  • 伯伯。
    Měi gè zhōu mò wǒ dōu qù bó bo jiā chī fàn.
    Every weekend I go to my paternal uncle's house for dinner.
  • 伯伯。
    bó bo Hé bà ba cháng dé hěn xiàng.
    My uncle and my father look a lot alike.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

伯bóuncle
伯bóuncle

The hanzi "伯" repeats, forming the common word for father's elder brother.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái伯bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伯 pairs 人 (person) with 白, which gives its sound.

Open 伯 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái伯bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伯 pairs 人 (person) with 白, which gives its sound.

Open 伯 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Family & Kinship

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