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老总 (lǎo zǒng) — boss, chief executive (respectful term of address or reference)

Definition

Respectful, colloquial workplace term for a company's top boss or CEO. The 老 prefix adds friendliness and deference; 老板 is more neutral and used for any business owner, while 老总 specifically signals senior executive status.

noun
bosschief executive (respectful term of address or reference)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 老总，。
    lǎo zǒng, Zhè shì zhè ge yuè de xiāo shòu bào gào.
    Boss, this is this month's sales report.
  • 老总。
    Wǒ men gōng sī de lǎo zǒng zuó tiān kāi huì le.
    Our company's CEO had a meeting yesterday.
  • 老总。
    Jǐ wèi lǎo zǒng dōu tóng yì le zhè ge fāng àn.
    Several executives agreed to this plan.

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
总zǒngchief

老 adds a respectful tone, and 总 means chief, so 老总 is a boss or leader.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 總; 总 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
悤
悤cōng總zǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 總 has 糸, a rope, and 悤 as a sound part; the rope part is for binding together. This account is for 總, not for 总.

Open 总 →
Appears in
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