HSK · Level 46
120 words
Chinese word
伯父
Pronunciation
Pinyinbó fù
Meaning
- nounfather's older brother
Example
上星期我和伯父一起吃饭。shàng xīng qī wǒ hé bó fù yì qǐ chī fàn
Last week, I had a meal with my father's older brother.
More examples
周末我常和伯父聊天，他很健谈。zhōu mò wǒ cháng hé bó fù liáo tiān tā hěn jiàn tán
On weekends, I often chat with my father's older brother, who is very talkative.
Core concept
A family-tree label that locates a man as an older brother in the father's sibling group.
Common phrases
和伯父聊天hé bó fù liáo tiān
chat with one's father's older brother
照顾伯父zhào gù bó fù
take care of one's father's older brother
Similar words
叔叔shū shū: A familiar spoken term for one's father's younger brother.
叔父shū fù: A written term for one's father's younger brother.
伯伯bó bo: A familiar spoken term for one's father's older brother.
大伯dà bó: A term for one's father's eldest brother.
Definition in Chinese
称呼父亲的年长兄弟，即父亲的哥哥。chēng hū fù qīn de nián zhǎng xiōng dì jí fù qīn dī gē gē
Word origin
伯父 (bófù, "father's older brother") combines 伯 (bó, "older brother") with 父 (fù, "father"), making the family relationship explicit.
Usage tips
- A broad English family label may hide both the relative's side of the family and his age order, while this Chinese term encodes both.
Other meanings
- unclenoun