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爷们 (yé men) — (colloquial) husband; (colloquial) man (emphasizing masculinity); (colloquial) menfolk, guys

Definition

Colloquial noun used by northerners for a masculine, straightforward man — or affectionately for 'husband' / 'the men in the family.' Strongly spoken, not used in writing.

noun
(colloquial) husband(colloquial) man (emphasizing masculinity)(colloquial) menfolkguys
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 爷们，。
    Wǒ men jiā yé men chū qù hē jiǔ le, yí huì r jiù huí lái.
    My husband went out drinking; he'll be back in a bit.
  • 爷们，。
    Tā zhè rén tè yé men, shuō huà bàn shì dōu tè bié gān cuì.
    He's a real man — direct in both speech and action.
  • ，。
    Lǎo yé men men jù zài yì qǐ, jiù ài liáo guò qù de shì r.
    When old guys get together, they love to talk about the past.

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.

爷yéman
们menplural

爷 denotes a man, and 们 indicates a group of such men.

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 爺; 爷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
父父fùfather
Sound part声符shēngfú
耶
耶yē爺yé
Same sound today

The traditional form 爺 combines 父, meaning father, with 耶 as a sound part; the simplified 爷 is a later shorthand, so its visible pieces do not carry that original role.

Open 爷 →

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 們; 们 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén們men
Same sound today

The traditional form 們 uses 亻 for a person and 門 for the sound; the simplified 们 is a later shorthand.

Open 们 →
Appears in
People (General)

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