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翁 (wēng) — (bound form) old man (in literary or compound words); father-in-law (formal); (a surname)

Definition

翁 (wēng) is a literary bound form meaning 'old man', used mainly in set words like 老翁 and 渔翁. It also appears in formal kinship terms such as 岳父 (father-in-law).

bound form
old man (in literary or compound words)father-in-law (formal)(a surname)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā shì yí gè lǎo yú wēng.
    He is an old fisherman.
  • 。
    Zhǔ rén wēng jīng shén zài zhōng guó hěn shòu zhòng shì.
    The spirit of being the master is highly valued in China.
  • 翁。
    Zhè wèi shì wǒ de yuè wēng.
    This is my father-in-law.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
羽羽yǔwings
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng翁wēng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

翁 combines 羽 (wings) with 公, which gives the sound. Its shape originally pointed to feathers, and it later came to be used for “old man” and related senses.

Appears in
Family & KinshipLife Stages & Age

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