Meaning of 大夫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- doctor; physician
- senior official (in imperial China)
How to use 大夫
大夫 (dàifu) is a common spoken word for a doctor, especially in northern China, and it sounds a little warmer and more everyday than 医生 (yīshēng). Example: 我去看大夫。(Wǒ qù kàn dàifu.) I am going to see the doctor.
大 (dà) means big and 夫 (fū) means man, so a 大夫 is a big, important man people turn to for help. Today that respected person is the doctor.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as dàfū, but for doctor the first character is read dài and the second is neutral tone: dàifu. The reading dàfū only refers to a senior official in imperial China.
大夫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
大 dà · big · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
夫 fū · man · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 大夫.
| 大学 | dàxué | university; college |
| 大学生 | dàxuéshēng | university student; college student |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone; influential family |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup |
| 长大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
| 大声 | dà shēng | loud voice; in a loud voice |
| 大量 | dàliàng | great amount; large quantity |
| 大多数 | dàduōshù | (great) majority |
| 大海 | dàhǎi | sea; ocean |
| 大门 | dàmén | entrance; door |
Questions about 大夫
What does 大夫 mean?
大夫 (dàifu) means "doctor; physician" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 大夫?
大夫 is made of 2 characters: 大 (3 strokes), 夫 (4 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 大夫 an HSK word?
Yes. 大夫 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 大夫 and 医生?
Both mean doctor. 医生 (yīshēng) is the standard, more formal term used in writing and official contexts, while 大夫 (dàifu) is more colloquial and common in speech, especially in the north.
Can I call a doctor 大夫 directly to get their attention?
Yes, you can say 大夫 (dàifu) when addressing a doctor, or add a surname, as in 王大夫 (Wáng dàifu), Dr. Wang. This is polite and very natural in conversation.