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爹妈 (diē mā) — parents (colloquial)

Definition

Colloquial, familiar word for "parents" — used in everyday speech, more intimate than 父母 (formal) or 家长 (school/official contexts).

noun
parents (colloquial)

Examples

  • 爹妈。
    Wǒ diē mā dōu shì lǎo shī.
    My parents are both teachers.
  • 爹妈？
    Nǐ diē mā shēn tǐ hǎo ma?
    Are your parents in good health?
  • 爹妈。
    Tā diē mā zhù zài xiāng xia.
    His parents live in the countryside.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

爹diēfather
妈māmother

爹 means father and 妈 means mother, together naming parents.

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
父父fùfather
Sound part声符shēngfú
多
多duō爹diē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

爹 has 父, meaning father, on top, and 多 below to give its sound.

Open 爹 →

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 媽; 妈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
馬
馬mǎ媽mā
Same sound today

The traditional form 媽 pairs 女 (woman) with 馬, which gives the sound. The simplified 妈 is a later shorthand.

Open 妈 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

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