Definition
大爷 (dà ye) means 'father's older brother' (paternal uncle) and is also a polite, colloquial way to address an elderly man, like 'sir' or 'uncle'. Unlike 叔叔 (father's younger brother or any middle-aged man), 大爷 specifically refers to an older uncle or an older gentleman. It is less formal than 伯父/伯伯 and more common in everyday northern Chinese speech.
noun
father's older brotheruncle(term of respect) unclesir (used to address an older man)
Examples
- 大爷，。Wǒ dà ye hěn shànliáng, jīngcháng bāngzhù biérén.My uncle is very kind and often helps others.
- 大爷。Nà wèi dà ye xǐhuān zài gōngyuán lǐ chàng gē.That old gentleman likes to sing in the park.
- 大爷，？Qǐngwèn dà ye, zuìjìn de yīyuàn zài nǎlǐ?Excuse me, sir, where is the nearest hospital?
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