大夫

• Pinyin: dài fu
• Hanzi breakdown: 大 (great) + 夫 (man/husband)

Meaning

Doctor; physician. A colloquial term for a medical doctor, especially common in northern China.

More informal and conversational than 医生 (yīshēng), and particularly common in spoken Mandarin in northern regions. In formal or written contexts, 医生 is preferred. Note the special pronunciation where 大 is read as dài.

Examples

1. 你哪里不舒服？先去看大夫吧。 Where do you feel unwell? Go see a doctor first.
2. 大夫说我需要多休息，少熬夜。 The doctor said I need to rest more and stay up less.
3. 这位大夫在这家医院工作了二十年。 This doctor has worked at this hospital for twenty years.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, everyday

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 大夫，我头疼得厉害。(Doctor, I have a terrible headache.)
• 我妈妈带我去看大夫了。(My mum took me to see the doctor.)

Don't Say

• 在正式报告中写'大夫' (In formal writing or reports, use 医生 instead — 大夫 is a spoken and informal term)

Origin & History

Originally an ancient official title (dàfū), meaning 'senior official.' Over time, the colloquial pronunciation shifted to dàifu when used to refer to doctors.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal