老爷 (lǎo ye) — (historical) master, lord, sir (term of address for a high-ranking man or employer); (dialectal) maternal grandfather, grandpa
Definition
老爷 has two main meanings: in historical/formal context it means 'master' or 'lord' (as servants addressed an employer); in modern colloquial speech it means 'maternal grandpa'. The set phrase 摆老爷架子 means 'to put on lordly airs'.
noun
(historical) masterlordsir (term of address for a high-ranking man or employer)(dialectal) maternal grandfathergrandpa
Measure word · 位
Examples
- 老爷。Jiā lǐ de pú rén dōu chēng tā wèi lǎo ye.The servants at home all called him 'master'.
- 老爷，。Wǒ xiǎo shí hou cháng qù lǎo ye jiā wán, tā zǒng gěi wǒ táng chī.When I was little, I often played at Grandpa's house, and he always gave me candy.
- 老爷，。Tā dōu tuì xiū le hái tiān tiān bǎi lǎo ye jià zi, shuí dōu bú yuàn yì lǐ tā.He's already retired but still puts on airs like a lord; nobody wants to deal with him.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.