老伯 (lǎo bó) — respectful term for an elderly man (often a father's friend or an older male acquaintance); polite form of address: Uncle, old uncle

Definition

A respectful Southern/dialectal address for an older man, similar to 叔叔 but warmer and more deferential, often used for a father's friends or any elderly stranger. Equivalent to 'Uncle' in English kinship-style address.

noun
respectful term for an elderly man (often a father's friend or an older male acquaintance)polite form of address: Uncleold uncle
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 老伯。
    Zhè wèi lǎo bó shì wǒ fù qīn de dà xué tóng xué.
    This old uncle is a college classmate of my father.
  • 老伯，？
    lǎo bó, Qǐng wèn zhè tiáo lù qù huǒ chē zhàn zěn me zǒu?
    Uncle, could you tell me how to get to the train station from this road?
  • 老伯。
    Xiǎo qū lǐ de lǎo bó men dōu xǐ huan zài shù dǐ xià xià qí.
    The old uncles in the neighborhood all like to play chess under the tree.

Origin

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
伯bóuncle

老伯 joins 老 with 伯 to form a respectful term for an older man or father’s friend.

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.

Open 老 →

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
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái伯bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伯 pairs 人 (person) with 白, which gives its sound.

Open 伯 →

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