爷 is a bound form (b.f.) that cannot stand alone as a word. It appears in family terms and respectful forms of address for older men. Common compounds include 爷爷 (grandfather), 大爷 (polite term for an older man), 老爷 (master, in historical/contextual usage), and 少爷 (young master). The tone of 爷 in these compounds is often neutral in natural speech, but the citation form is yé.