Chinese word

老大

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo dà

Meaning

  • nouneldest child

Example

他是家里的老大。tā shì jiā lǐ de lǎo dà

He is the eldest child in the family.

Illustration for 老大 (eldest child)

More examples

作为兄弟中老大，她经常分担家务和照顾弟妹。zuò wéi xiōng dì zhōng lǎo dà tā jīng cháng fēn dān jiā wù hé zhào gù dì mèi

As the eldest among her siblings, she often shares the housework and takes care of her younger siblings.

Core concept

The senior figure who carries the greatest weight among the people around them.

Common phrases

  • 家中老大jiā zhōng lǎo dà

    eldest child in the family

  • 兄弟姐妹中的老大xiōng dì jiě mèi zhōng de lǎo dà

    eldest among the siblings

  • 家里排行第一的老大jiā lǐ pái háng dì yī de lǎo dà

    eldest child in the family

Similar words

长子zháng zǐ: The first child born into a family.
长男zhǎng nán: A family's oldest son.
哥哥gē gē: A male sibling who is older than the person speaking or referred to.
大哥dà gē: The oldest brother among the male siblings in a family.

Definition in Chinese

既可指家庭中按年龄最大的子女（长子），也可泛指团体中的首领或有影响力的人，属于口语词。jì kě zhǐ jiā tíng zhōng àn nián líng zuì dà de zí nǚ zháng zǐ yě kě fàn zhǐ tuán tǐ zhōng de shóu lǐng huò yǒu yíng xiǎng lì de rén shǔ yú kóu yǔ cí

Word origin

老大 (lǎodà, "eldest child; leader") pairs 老 (lǎo, "senior") with 大 (dà, "great"), connecting seniority in a family with prominence in a wider group.

Usage tips

  • English often separates family rank from workplace rank, but this conversational word can cover both, making it useful when a speaker names a group's leading person without using a formal title.

Other meanings

  • bossnoun
  • supervisornoun
  • leadernoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 老大哥lǎo dà gēolder brothernoun
  • 老大姐lǎo dà jiěolder sisternoun

Word lists with this word