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外祖父 (wài zǔ fù) — maternal grandfather

Definition

Mother's father (maternal grandfather). 父 marks the more formal or written register, while 外祖父 is the literary form of 姥爷 / 外公 used in everyday speech.

noun
maternal grandfather
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 外祖父。
    Wǒ de wài zǔ fù jīn nián bā shí suì le.
    My maternal grandfather is eighty years old this year.
  • 外祖父。
    wài zǔ fù Xiǎo shí hou jīng cháng gěi wǒ jiǎng gù shi.
    When I was little, my maternal grandfather often told me stories.
  • 外祖父。
    Wǒ měi gè zhōu mò dōu qù kàn wài zǔ fù.
    I go to visit my maternal grandfather every weekend.

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.

外wàimaternal side
祖父grandfather
祖zǔancestor父fùfather
偏正Modifier + head

外 marks the maternal side, while 祖父 means grandfather, so maternal grandfather.

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
卜卜bǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
月
月yuè外wài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

Open 外 →

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
示示shì
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě祖zǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

祖 was made by adding 示 to 且, and 且 gives the sound.

Open 祖 →

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

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