Chinese word

大爷

Pronunciation

Pinyindà yé

Meaning

  • nounsir

Example

大爷，您慢走。dà yé nín màn zǒu

Sir, take care on your way home.

Illustration for 大爷 (sir)

More examples

上车时我给大爷让座了。shàng chē shí wǒ gěi dà yé ràng zuò le

When I got on the bus, I gave my seat to an old man.

Core concept

A familiar address for an older man seen as a senior figure, carrying respect, warmth, or mock respect depending on tone.

Common phrases

  • 给大爷让座gěi dà yé ràng zuò

    give an old man one's seat

  • 跟大爷聊天gēn dà yé liáo tiān

    talk with an old man

  • 向大爷道谢xiàng dà yé dào xiè

    say thank you to an old man

Similar words

老人lǎo rén: A general noun for a person who is old.
长辈zhǎng bèi: A polite term for someone from an older generation in a family or group.
老年人lǎo nián rén: A formal term for people who are elderly.
老头lǎo tóu: An informal expression for an older man that can sound blunt.

Definition in Chinese

口语里对年长男性的称呼，同时也出现在如“耍大爷”“装大爷”等俗语中，用法随语境和语气变化而不同。kóu yǔ lǐ duì nián zhǎng nán xìng de chēng hū tóng shí yě chū xiàn zài rú shuǎ dà yé zhuāng dà yé děng sú yǔ zhōng yòng fǎ suí yǔ jìng hé yǔ qì biàn huà ér bù tóng

Word origin

The compound 大 (dà, "big") + 爷 (yé, "master or older man") presents an older man as a senior figure, which supports both respectful address and later mock-respectful slang.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English "sir," this form is strongly shaped by tone: warmth can show respect, while a sharp tone can make the same address teasing or dismissive.

Other meanings

  • old mannoun
  • unclenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 老大爷lǎo dà yéelderly mannoun

Word lists with this word