老丈人 (lǎo zhàng rén) — father-in-law (a man's wife's father)

Definition

Colloquial, very common term for a man's father-in-law (his wife's father). A wife would not use this word for her own father.

noun

father-in-law (a man's wife's father)

Measure word · 位

老丈人。
Wǒ de lǎo zhàng rén duì wǒ hěn hǎo.
My father-in-law is very good to me.
老丈人。
Shàng zhōu mò wǒ qù kàn le lǎo zhàng rén.
Last weekend I went to visit my father-in-law.
老丈人，。
lǎo zhàng rén Xǐ huan hē chá, wǒ mǎi le yì xiē hǎo chá gěi tā.
My father-in-law likes to drink tea, so I bought some good tea for him.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

老lǎorespectful

丈人father-in-law

丈zhàngfather-in-law人rénperson

偏正Modifier + head

“老” adds respect, and “丈人” names the wife's father.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

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

丈 is made from 十 (ten) and 又 (hand), and it is explained as a length of ten chi.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.