家伙

• Pinyin: jiā huo
• Hanzi breakdown: 家 = 宀 + 豕 (roof + pig — household); 伙 = 亻 + 火 (person + fire — companions gathered around a fire)

Meaning

(Informal) A fellow; a guy; a thing; a tool or instrument. Used colloquially to refer to people (often with a slightly dismissive or amused tone) or objects (especially weapons or bulky tools).

Highly colloquial. When referring to people, often carries a tone of mild contempt, amusement, or familiarity. When referring to objects, often implies something large or formidable. Appears frequently in spoken language, fiction, and film dialogue.

Examples

1. 那个家伙说话总是不算数，大家早就对他失去了信任。 That guy never keeps his word, and everyone stopped trusting him a long time ago.
2. 警察在嫌疑人的车里搜出了几件不明家伙，立即将其扣押调查。 The police found several unidentified items in the suspect’s car and immediately seized them for investigation.
3. 你知道那个家伙最后怎么了吗？据说他跑到国外去了。 Do you know what ended up happening to that guy? They say he ran off abroad.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken language, fiction, informal

Tone: informal

Do Say

• 这家伙平时看起来老实巴交，没想到在紧急关头居然表现得如此果断，让所有人都大吃一惊。(This fellow usually looks honest and unassuming, but no one expected him to act so decisively in a critical moment — everyone was astonished.)
• 仓库里堆着几件大家伙，搬运工人费了好大劲才把它们一件件装上卡车运走。(Several large bulky items were piled up in the warehouse; the workers had to exert considerable effort to load them one by one onto the truck.)

Don't Say

• 家伙 is informal and colloquial. Do not use it in formal written Chinese or official documents. In a formal context, use 人员 for people and 器械、工具 for equipment

Origin & History

家 (family; household) + 伙 (partner; group) — originally referred to domestic tools or household equipment; evolved colloquially to also mean 'fellow'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal