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老头子 (lǎo tóu zǐ) — (derogatory) old codger, old fogy; (colloquial, affectionate) one's old man (husband or father)

Definition

Colloquial term for an old man. Slightly derogatory when used about a stranger (≈'old codger'), but warm and familiar when referring to one's own husband or father — like English 'my old man'.

noun
(derogatory) old codgerold fogy(colloquial, affectionate) one's old man (husband or father)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 老头子，。
    Nà ge lǎo tóu zǐ zǒng shì bào yuàn, méi rén xǐ huan tā.
    That old codger always complains; nobody likes him.
  • 老头子。
    Wǒ jiā lǎo tóu zǐ jīn tiān gěi wǒ zuò le wǎn fàn.
    My old man made dinner for me today.
  • 老头子，。
    Wǒ lǎo tóu zǐ jīn nián bā shí suì le, shēn tǐ hái hěn hǎo.
    My old man is eighty this year and still in good health.

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.

老头old man
老lǎoold头tóusuffix
子zǐsuffix

The familiar form 老头 points to an old man; 头 belongs to that form, not the body part, and 子 gives a colloquial feel.

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
Family & KinshipLife Stages & Age

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