佬

lǎo
亻 + 老

Definitions

lǎo male; man (Cantonese)

Etymology

An old 老 person 亻; 老 also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 佬 is a phono-semantic compound composed of the person radical 亻 and the character 老. 老 provides the pronunciation and also means "old", lending a connotation of age or seniority. Historically and in modern Chinese, 佬 serves as a colloquial term for a grown man, guy, or fellow, especially in Cantonese and other southern dialects. Its meaning shifts with the adjective attached: it can be a neutral label for a person from a certain region or a mildly derogatory term for someone with undesirable traits.

Example Sentences Hide

他是我的大佬。

Tā shì wǒ de dàlǎo.

He is my big brother/boss.

那个阔佬很有钱。

Nàge kuòlǎo hěn yǒu qián.

That rich man is very wealthy.

我不想做和事佬。

Wǒ bù xiǎng zuò héshìlǎo.

I don't want to be a peacemaker.

广东佬喜欢喝早茶。

Guǎngdōng lǎo xǐhuan hē zǎochá.

Cantonese people like to drink morning tea.

那个乡下佬没见过世面。

Nàge xiāngxià lǎo méi jiànguò shìmiàn.

That country bumpkin has never seen the world.

这个鬼佬中文说得很好。

Zhège guǐlǎo Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo.

This foreigner speaks Chinese very well.

大佬们正在开会讨论问题。

Dàlǎo men zhèngzài kāihuì tǎolùn wèntí.

The bosses are having a meeting to discuss issues.

他扮演和事佬的角色很成功。

Tā bànyǎn héshìlǎo de juésè hěn chénggōng.

He successfully played the role of a peacemaker.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

他 们 你 作 但 使 体 什 代 信 化 位 任 何

Component: 老

姥 耆 耄 铑 耋 栳 粩 耈 㧯 咾 狫 銠

Example Words

大佬 基佬 美国佬 鬼佬 仡佬族 仫佬族 北佬 北方佬 口水佬 和事佬 赤佬 乡下佬 乡巴佬 金鱼佬 阔佬