TongTong
Sign in

养父 (yǎng fù) — foster father

Definition

Refers specifically to a foster or adoptive father (a man who raises a child that is not his biological own). Contrast with 父亲, the general word for 'father', and 继父, a stepfather who married one's biological mother.

noun
foster father
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 养父，。
    Wǒ de yǎng fù duì wǒ hěn hǎo, jiù xiàng qīn shēng fù qīn yí yàng.
    My foster father treats me very well, just like a biological father.
  • 养父，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo yóu yǎng fù fǔ yǎng zhǎng dà, gǎn qíng hěn shēn.
    He was raised by his foster father since childhood, and their bond is deep.
  • 养父。
    Zhè wèi yǎng fù wèi hái zi fù chū le hěn duō xīn xuè.
    This foster father has devoted a lot of effort to the child.

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.

养yǎngfoster
父fùfather

养 means to raise or foster and 父 means father, naming a father who raises a child not his own.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 養; 养 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 養 uses 羊 as a sound part and 食 as a meaning part.

Open 养 →

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
Family & Kinship

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