丈夫

• Pinyin: zhàng fu
• Hanzi breakdown: 丈 = pictograph of a person holding a staff, a unit of length, adult man; 夫 = 大 (big/person) + 一 (a hairpin), an adult man

Meaning

Husband. The formal and standard term for a married man in relation to his wife.

The standard Mandarin word for husband in both spoken and written contexts. In classical Chinese, 丈夫 also meant a grown man of noble character, but in modern usage it almost exclusively means husband. Informally, 老公 is more colloquial. 丈夫 is appropriate in all registers.

Examples

1. 她的丈夫是一名工程师，经常出差。 Her husband is an engineer and often travels for work.
2. 这对夫妻结婚三十年，丈夫对妻子一直很体贴。 This couple has been married for thirty years and the husband has always been very considerate towards his wife.
3. 丈夫下班回来后，两个人一起做了晚饭。 After the husband came home from work, the two of them cooked dinner together.

Usage Guide

Context: family, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我丈夫今晚不在家。(My husband is not at home tonight.)
• 她正在等她丈夫从机场回来。(She is waiting for her husband to come back from the airport.)

Don't Say

• 用'丈夫'称呼未婚男友 (Don't use 丈夫 to refer to an unmarried boyfriend — it strictly means a legally married husband)

Origin & History

Historically, 丈 was a unit of length (approximately 3 metres) and 丈夫 meant a man of full stature — a proper adult man. Over time the meaning narrowed to specifically mean husband.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal