father's elder brother; respectful term for an older man
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 4 examplesnoun
father's elder brother; eldest uncle
Used in family contexts to refer to the eldest brother of one's father. It is a common kinship term.
Wǒ我
dà大
bó伯
zhù住
zài在
Běi北
jīng京
。
My eldest uncle lives in Beijing.
Zhè这
shì是
dà大
bó伯
，
zhè这
shì是
wǒ我
fù父
qīn亲
。
This is my eldest uncle, and this is my father.
noun
respectful term for an older man
honorificUsed as a polite way to address or refer to an older male who is not a relative, showing respect similar to 'sir' or 'uncle' (honorific).
Dà大
bó伯
，
qǐng请
wèn问
tú图
shū书
guǎn馆
zěn怎
me么
zǒu走
？
Excuse me, sir, could you tell me how to get to the library?
Nà那
wèi位
rè热
xīn心
de的
dà大
bó伯
bāng帮
wǒ我
men们
bān搬
le了
xíng行
lǐ李
。
That kind older gentleman helped us with our luggage.