elderly person (honorific); parents
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
honorific term for an elderly person
informalUsed as a respectful way to refer to elderly people, often following 您 or 他. Common in spoken Chinese.
Nín您
lǎo老
rén人
jia家
shēn身
tǐ体
hái还
hǎo好
ma吗
？
How is your health, elderly sir?
Tā他
lǎo老
rén人
jia家
yǐ已
jīng经
tuì退
xiū休
shí十
nián年
le了
。
He has been retired for ten years now.
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Zhè这
liǎng两
wèi位
lǎo老
rén人
jia家
zài在
yī一
qǐ起
hé合
zuò作
jǐ几
shí十
nián年
le了
。
These two elderly people have worked together for decades.
noun
one's own or the other person's father or mother
informalUsed to refer to parents in a respectful way, especially when asking about their age or health. Can refer to either the speaker's own parents or the listener's parents.
Nǐ你
men们
lǎo老
rén人
jia家
jīn今
nián年
yǒu有
qī七
shí十
le了
ba吧
？
Your parents are around seventy this year, right?
Wǒ我
men们
lǎo老
rén人
jia家
shēn身
tǐ体
dōu都
tǐng挺
hǎo好
de的
。
Our parents are both in good health.
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Nǐ你
men们
lǎo老
rén人
jia家
zuì最
jìn近
zěn怎
me么
yàng样
？
How have your parents been lately?