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伯父 (bó fù) — father's elder brother; term of respect for an older man (used as a polite form of address)

Definition

A formal term for one's father's elder brother; more written than the colloquial 伯伯. Also used as a polite address for an older man, like 大爷 but more bookish.

noun
father's elder brotherterm of respect for an older man (used as a polite form of address)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 伯父。
    Wǒ de bó fù jīn nián liù shí suì le.
    My uncle (father's elder brother) is sixty years old this year.
  • 伯父，。
    Zhè wèi shì lǐ bó fù, wǒ fù qīn de lǎo péng you.
    This is Uncle Li, an old friend of my father's.
  • 伯父，。
    bó fù, Nín xiān qǐng zuò.
    Uncle, please have a seat first.

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.

伯bóelder
父fùfather

The hanzi "伯" marks the elder side and "父" means father, so it names father's elder brother.

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
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái伯bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伯 pairs 人 (person) with 白, which gives its sound.

Open 伯 →

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

The shape 父 shows a hand holding a stone blade, referring to a man working with a stone axe.

Open 父 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Family & Kinship

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