TongTong
Sign in

老伙计 (lǎo huǒ jì) — (colloquial) old buddy, old pal; old partner or comrade

Definition

A warm, colloquial term of address meaning 'old pal' or 'old buddy,' used between close friends or longtime partners. Stronger on long-standing familiarity than a simple 朋友.

noun
(colloquial) old buddyold palold partner or comrade

Examples

  • 老伙计，！
    lǎo huǒ jì, Hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn le!
    Old buddy, long time no see!
  • 老伙计。
    Tā shì wǒ sān shí nián de lǎo huǒ jì le.
    He's my old partner of thirty years.
  • ，老伙计，。
    Bié zháo jí, lǎo huǒ jì, wǒ men yì qǐ xiǎng bàn fǎ.
    Don't worry, old pal, we'll figure it out together.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

老lǎolong-standing
伙计buddy
伙huǒpartner计jìclerk
联合Coordinate

老 means long-standing, and 伙计 means buddy, giving old pal.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

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 夥; 伙 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 伙 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (大伙儿, 伙) it is 夥; in others (小伙子) it is 伙.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
多多duō
Sound part声符shēngfú
果
果guǒ夥huǒ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 夥 combines 多 (many) with 果 as a sound part. The simplified 伙 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 伙 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 計; 计 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 計 pairs 言 (say) with 十 (all). The simplified 计 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical shape.

Open 计 →
Appears in
Friends & Social

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.