About
The character "佬" is built from the semantic component 亻, meaning "person", combined with the phonetic and semantic component 老, meaning "old", forming its traditional and simplified form which are identical. Its origin lies in adding the person radical to 老 to create a specific term for a man, originally carrying the core meaning of an "old man" or "elder". Over time, its application broadened to function as a nominal suffix denoting adult males, often with a colloquial tone, and became attached to nouns indicating a man's trade, origin, or characteristic, as in "闊佬" (a wealthy man) or "鄉佬" (a country fellow). While some compounds remain neutral, the character can convey a derogatory sense depending on context, implying crudeness or a lack of sophistication.
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。