管家
guǎnjiā
The English word 'butler' is translated into Mandarin as 管家 (guǎnjiā). Wiktionary also lists 執事 / 执事 (zhíshì).
Meaning: chief male servant (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 管家 | guǎnjiā |
| 執事 / 执事 | zhíshì |
管家 refers to a chief male servant or a household manager. While 执事 can be used to mean 'butler' in specific historical or fictional settings, it is more commonly encountered in modern Mandarin as a title for a deacon in a religious context or as an officer within a formal organization.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 管家 is composed of 管, which means to manage or control and 家, which means home or family.
Which one should you use?
管家 is the standard term for a butler or household manager. In contrast, 执事 is more frequently used to describe a religious title like a deacon or a formal role within an organization.
How do you pronounce it?
guǎnjiā
Did you know?
- While 管家 describes a professional role, the term 管家婆 is a colloquial way to describe a wife who is overly controlling or 'bossy'.
- The word 管家 is now widely used in 'smart home' technology to describe AI assistants that manage your appliances and schedule.
- In ancient China, a 管家 was often a trusted relative or a freed servant who held significant legal power over the household's finances.
Examples in context
- 男管家宣佈史密斯先生和夫人駕到。The butler announced Mr. and Mrs. Smith.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 管家 in a sentence.Tatoeba #781435 by Martha, translation #245494 by CN
- 那位管家非常專業。Nà wèi guǎnjiā fēicháng zhuānyè.That butler is very professional.
- 他在這座莊園擔任管家。Tā zài zhè zuò zhuāngyuán dānrèn guǎnjiā.He serves as the butler in this manor.
Example conversation
Xiaowen and Junjie are discussing a movie they just watched.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你覺得電影裡的管家很酷。Nǐ juéde diànyǐng lǐ de guǎnjiā hěn kù.You think the butler in the movie is cool.
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，他處理事情很迅速。Shì de, tā chǔlǐ shìqíng hěn xùnsù.Yes, he handles things very quickly.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen現在很少人家請管家了。Xiànzài hěn shǎo rén jià qǐng guǎnjiā le.Few people hire butlers nowadays.
- 俊杰 Junjie確實，這在現實中很罕見。Quèshí, zhè zài xiànshí zhōng hěn hǎnjiàn.True, it's very rare in reality.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butler” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
