Chinese word

老伴儿

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo bànr

Meaning

  • nounspouse

Example

她和老伴儿一起散步。tā hé lǎo bànr yì qǐ sàn bù

She takes a walk with her spouse.

Illustration for 老伴儿 (spouse)

More examples

节日里，他总会给老伴儿买礼物。jié rì lǐ tā zǒng huì gěi lǎo bànr mǎi lǐ wù

On holidays, he always buys his spouse a gift.

Core concept

The close partner who has shared the ordinary path of life with someone over time.

Common phrases

  • 和老伴儿一起散步hé lǎo bànr yì qǐ sàn bù

    take a walk with one's spouse

  • 照顾老伴儿zhào gù lǎo bànr

    care for one's spouse

  • 和老伴儿过节hé lǎo bànr guò jié

    spend a holiday with one's spouse

Similar words

伴侣bàn lǚ: A neutral name for a life partner or everyday companion.
配偶者pèi ǒu zhě: A formal noun for someone's husband or wife in legal or official settings.
爱人ài rén: A close emotional partner, whether a spouse or a romantic partner.
丈夫zhàng fū: A woman's male spouse.

Definition in Chinese

在北方方言口语中指配偶或长期伴侣的称呼，通常带亲昵或熟悉的语气，“老”不必指年龄，结尾的“儿”为口语化成分。zài běi fāng fāng yán kóu yǔ zhōng zhǐ pèi ǒu huò cháng qī bàn lǚ de chēng hū tōng cháng dài qīn nì huò shú xī de yǔ qì lǎo bú bì zhǐ nián líng jié wěi de ér wèi kóu yǔ huà chéng fēn

Word origin

The word combines 老 (lǎo, "long-standing") with 伴 (bàn, "companion"), and 儿 (ér, "r-suffix") adds the relaxed northern pronunciation; 老 need not refer to age.

Usage tips

  • English often uses one neutral label in both casual and formal settings, but this Chinese word carries the atmosphere of an established household and a familiar relationship.

Other meanings

  • partnernoun
  • husbandnoun
  • wifenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 老伴lǎo bànspousenoun

Word lists with this word