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老爹 (lǎo diē) — dad, papa (informal, affectionate); grandpa (dialectal/informal); old man (respectful term for an elderly man)

Definition

An informal, affectionate term whose exact referent shifts by region: usually 'dad/papa' in northern speech, but in many areas it means 'grandpa' or even a respectful 'old man'. For 'father' generally, use 爸爸.

noun
dadpapa (informal, affectionate)grandpa (dialectal/informal)old man (respectful term for an elderly man)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 老爹。
    Wǒ lǎo diē jīn nián liù shí suì le.
    My dad is sixty years old this year.
  • 老爹，。
    lǎo diē, Nín màn zǒu.
    Old man, take care.
  • 老爹。
    Tā lǎo diē zhù zài xiāng xia.
    His grandpa lives in the countryside.

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lǎofamiliar or affectionate
爹diēfather

老 adds a familiar or affectionate tone to 爹, meaning 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.

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
父父fùfather
Sound part声符shēngfú
多
多duō爹diē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

爹 has 父, meaning father, on top, and 多 below to give its sound.

Open 爹 →
Appears in
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