当家的 (dāng jiā de) — head of a family; person in charge of a household; (informal) husband (used by a wife to refer to her husband); (Buddhist) head monk; abbot of a temple

Definition

当家的 is the person who runs a household — literally 'the one in charge' — used in family or temple settings. In Buddhist contexts it means the head monk; in everyday talk a wife may use it for her husband.

noun
head of a familyperson in charge of a household(informal) husband (used by a wife to refer to her husband)(Buddhist) head monkabbot of a temple
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 当家的。
    Wǒ men jiā de dāng jiā de jué dìng míng tiān yì qǐ qù kàn diàn yǐng.
    The head of our family decided that we'll go see a movie together tomorrow.
  • 当家的，。
    Tā jiā de dāng jiā de zài wài dì dǎ gōng, yì nián cái huí lái yí cì.
    Her husband works far away and only comes home once a year.
  • 当家的。
    Sì lǐ de dāng jiā de shì yí wèi dé gāo wàng zhòng de gāo sēng.
    The head monk of the temple is a highly respected senior monk.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

当家manage household
当dāngmanage家jiāhousehold
动宾Verb + object
的denominalizer

当家 means to manage a household, and 的 adds the sense of the person who does this.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

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
白白báiwhite
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo的de
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

的 pairs 白, related to white or brightness, with 勺, which gives a clue to the sound. Its older form 旳 meant bright.

Open 的 →

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