佬 (lǎo) - Man & fellow

佬Tone 3

lǎo ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 亻

俊梁

佬 · lǎo

Man;

fellow;

guy;

used to refer to adult males, sometimes with colloquial or dialectal flavor.

Manfellowguy

Usage highlights

ForeignerTall guyCountry bumpkinOld manChefRich guy

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 婆— woman; wife (female counterpart)
  • 女— female

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He is a foreigner (外国佬).
  • That guy is quite tall (高佬).
  • The old man is very kind (老人家).
  • He works as a chef (厨佬).

Collocations

  • Foreigner(外国佬)
  • Tall guy(高佬)
  • Country bumpkin(乡巴佬)
  • Old man(佬佬)
  • Chef(厨佬)
  • Rich guy(阔佬)

Idioms

  • Country bumpkin(乡巴佬)
  • Old codger(老家伙)
  • Big spender(阔佬)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally a neutral term for adult males in some southern Chinese dialects.
  • Can carry colloquial or slightly informal tone in Mandarin usage.
  • Sometimes used in compound words that may carry neutral, descriptive, or slightly pejorative connotations depending on context.

FAQ