About
The character "佬" is a phono-semantic compound formed by the person radical "亻" and the component "老", which guides its pronunciation and originally contributed a semantic association with age or seniority. Initially denoting an older male figure, the term gradually broadened in application to refer to men in general, often within informal or colloquial speech, and sometimes carrying derogatory connotations depending on contextual usage. In modern Chinese, it functions primarily as a nominal suffix, forming words that categorize individuals by regional background, social role, or personal traits, as seen in examples like "广东佬" for a Cantonese person or "阔佬" for a wealthy man, illustrating a semantic shift from age-specific reference to a versatile descriptor of personhood with embedded social nuances.
Example Sentences Hide
他是我的大佬。
那个阔佬很有钱。
我不想做和事佬。
广东佬喜欢喝早茶。
那个乡下佬没见过世面。
这个鬼佬中文说得很好。
大佬们正在开会讨论问题。
他扮演和事佬的角色很成功。