Chinese word

老公

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo gōng

Meaning

  • nounhusband

Example

我的老公今天要加班。wǒ de lǎo gōng jīn tiān yào jiā bān

My husband has to work overtime today.

Illustration for 老公 (husband)

More examples

我和老公商量了晚饭怎么做。wǒ hé lǎo gōng shāng liáng le wǎn fàn zěn me zuò

I discussed how to make dinner with my husband.

Core concept

A warm, everyday label for one's husband that treats the marriage partner as close family rather than a formal role.

Common phrases

  • 和老公商量hé lǎo gōng shāng liáng

    discuss with one's husband

  • 叫老公帮忙jiào lǎo gōng bāng máng

    ask one's husband for help

  • 听老公的话tīng lǎo gōng de huà

    do as one's husband says

Similar words

丈夫zhàng fū: The usual neutral term for a woman's male marriage partner in everyday or formal settings.
爱人ài rén: A loving partner, including a spouse or someone in a romantic relationship.

Definition in Chinese

口语中用于称呼自己的丈夫或男性配偶者的俗称，语气亲近，多见于日常对话。kóu yǔ zhōng yòng yú chēng hū zì jǐ de zhàng fū huò nán xìng pèi ǒu zhě de sú chēng yǔ qì qīn jìn duō jiàn yú rì cháng duì huà

Word origin

老 (lǎo, "old") + 公 (gōng, "male person") form a colloquial name for a husband, with 老 adding a familiar tone rather than marking his age.

Usage tips

  • Chinese speakers can use this label both when talking about a spouse and when addressing one, so its role depends on the surrounding conversation.

Opposites

Word lists with this word