Chinese word

小伙子

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo huǒ zi

Meaning

  • nounyoung man

Example

那个小伙子是我的同学。nà ge xiáo huǒ zi shì wǒ de tóng xué

That young man is my classmate.

Illustration for 小伙子 (young man)

More examples

这位小伙子经常帮老人过马路。zhè wèi xiáo huǒ zi jīng cháng bāng lǎo rén guò mǎ lù

This young man often helps elderly people cross the street.

Core concept

A youthful male figure who can be mentioned or called out to with familiarity.

Common phrases

  • 这位小伙子zhè wèi xiáo huǒ zi

    this young man

  • 穿着西装的小伙子chuān zhe xī zhuāng de xiáo huǒ zi

    young man wearing a suit

  • 帮忙的小伙子bāng máng de xiáo huǒ zi

    young man helping

Similar words

小伙xiáo huǒ: An informal short term for a young man used in a familiar way.
年轻人nián qīng rén: A collective term for people of a young age.
青年qīng nián: A relatively formal term for a young adult or member of the younger generation.
男人nán rén: A neutral term for an adult man.

Definition in Chinese

口语中对年轻男子的称呼，既可指第三者也可直接招呼，常带亲切或责备的语气，书面语较少使用。kóu yǔ zhōng duì nián qīng nán zi de chēng hū jì kě zhǐ dì sān zhě yě kě zhí jiē zhāo hū cháng dài qīn qiè huò zé bèi de yǔ qì shū miàn yǔ jiào shǎo shǐ yòng

Word origin

小伙子 (xiǎohuǒzi, "young man") uses 小 (xiǎo, "young") before the colloquial person element 伙子 (huǒzi, "fellow"), a structure that makes the expression informal and personable.

Usage tips

  • The speaker's tone matters: the same word can express friendliness or a light reprimand, which is why it may sound inappropriate toward a stranger or an older person.

Other meanings

  • ladnoun
  • youngsternoun

Opposites

  • 老年人lǎo nián rénelderly personnoun
  • 中年人zhōng nián rénmiddle-aged personnoun

Related words

  • 小伙儿xiáo huǒryoung mannoun
  • 小伙xiáo huǒyoung mannoun

Word lists with this word