a respectful term for an old man
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
a respectful term for an old man; gramps; elder
informalCommonly used in spoken Mandarin to address or refer to an elderly male stranger or acquaintance with politeness and respect. '爷' (yé) is often pronounced in a neutral tone when spoken casually, but the canonical pinyin is given with tone 2.
Zhè这
wèi位
lǎo老
dà大
yé爷
，
nín您
zhī知
dào道
dì地
tiě铁
zhàn站
zěn怎
me么
zǒu走
ma吗
？
Excuse me, sir, do you know how to get to the subway station?
Gōng公
yuán园
lǐ里
，
yī一
wèi位
lǎo老
dà大
yé爷
zhèng正
zài在
dǎ打
tài太
jí极
。
In the park, an old man is practicing Tai Chi.
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Lǎo老
dà大
yé爷
，
nín您
màn慢
diǎn点
er儿
zǒu走
。
Take your time, gramps.
Lín邻
jū居
jiā家
de的
lǎo老
dà大
yé爷
hěn很
rè热
xīn心
，
jīng经
cháng常
bāng帮
dà大
jiā家
ná拿
kuài快
dì递
。
The old man next door is very helpful and often picks up packages for everyone.