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老天爷 (Lǎo tiān yé) — (the traditional Chinese) God of Heaven; Heavens (personified ruler of the celestial realm)

Definition

老天爷 is a colloquial, personified way of saying 'Heavens!' — used as an exclamation of frustration or appeal (老天爷, 这可怎么办? 'Good heavens, what do we do?'), not the formal religious 'God'.

noun
(the traditional Chinese) God of HeavenHeavens (personified ruler of the celestial realm)

Examples

  • 老天爷。
    Xī wàng Lǎo tiān yé néng bǎo yòu wǒ men yí lù píng ān.
    I hope Heaven will bless us with a safe journey.
  • 老天爷，？
    Lǎo tiān yé, Zhè kě zěn me bàn cái hǎo?
    Good heavens, what should we do now?
  • 老天爷，！
    Lǎo tiān yé A, nǐ zěn me yòu xià yǔ le!
    Oh heavens, why is it raining again!

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

老lǎofamiliarizing
天爷heaven lord
天tiānheaven爷yélord
偏正Modifier + head

老 gives a familiar tone, 天 means heaven, and 爷 means lord, together naming the ruler of heaven.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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 →
Appears in
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