曾祖父
zēngzǔfù
The English phrase 'great grandpa' is translated into Chinese as 曾祖父 (zēngzǔfù).
曾祖父 is used to refer to the father of one's grandparent on the paternal side.
What does it mean word for word?
The character 曾 means 'once-removed' or 'great-' in the context of genealogical relationships.
Which one should you use?
曾祖父 is the formal, technical term for a paternal great-grandfather. If you wish to specify a maternal great-grandfather, you should use 外曾祖父 by adding 外 to the beginning of the term.
How do you pronounce it?
zēngzǔfù
Did you know?
- Chinese has specific terms for ancestors beyond the great-grandfather. A great-great-grandfather is called 高祖父, and the one above him is 太祖父.
- Adding 外 to create 外曾祖父 does more than specify the mother's side. The character 外 literally means 'outside', reflecting a historical view that the maternal line belonged to a different family unit.
- In many Chinese families, you would never call your great-grandfather by his formal name, 曾祖父, to his face. Instead, you would use much more intimate, colloquial titles like 太爷爷 (tài yéye) to show affection.
Examples in context
- 亲爱的高祖父，祝您健康长寿！(Qīn'ài de gāo zǔ fù, zhù nín jiànkāng chángshòu!)Dear Great Grandfather, I wish you good health and long life!
- 尊敬的太公，您是我们家族的重要支柱。(Zūnjìng de tài gōng, nín shì wǒmen jiāzú de zhòngyào zhīzhù.)Respected Great Grandfather, you are an important pillar of our family.
- 今天我要去探望曾祖父。(Jīntiān wǒ yào qù tànwàng zēng zǔ fù.)Today, I will visit my Great Grandfather.
- 我的曾祖父是一位医生。Wǒ de zēngzǔfù shì yī wèi yīshēng.My great grandpa was a doctor.
- 这是我曾祖父的照片。Zhè shì wǒ zēngzǔfù de zhàopiàn.This is a photo of my great grandpa.
- 我曾祖父的名字很难记。Wǒ zēngzǔfù de míngzì hěn nán jì.My great grandpa's name is hard to remember.
Example conversation
Wei and Jiayi are looking at an old family photo album.
- 伟 Wei这张照片里的人是谁？Zhè zhāng zhàopiàn lǐ de rén shì shuí?Who is the person in this photo?
- 佳怡 Jiayi那是我的曾祖父。Nà shì wǒ de zēngzǔfù.That is my great grandpa.
- 伟 Wei他看起来很慈祥。Tā kàn qǐlái hěn cíxiáng.He looks very kind.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，大家都很爱他。Shì de, dàjiā dōu hěn ài tā.Yes, everyone loved him very much.
