大夫

dàifu
noun HSK 3 #3,299

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 doctor

Characters

Literally 'great man.' Originally an official rank in ancient China; now colloquially means 'doctor' (pronounced dàifu).

Examples

HSK 1
Nǐ qù kàn dàifu le ma?
Did you go see the doctor?
HSK 2
Dàifu shuō méi shénme dà wèntí.
The doctor said there's no big problem.
HSK 7-9
Zhè wèi dàifu yīshù hěn gāo.
This doctor has great medical skills.

Tips

grammar
As 'doctor,' 大夫 is pronounced dàifu (with a neutral second tone). In ancient Chinese, 大夫 (dàfū) was a high official rank - different pronunciation, different meaning!
usage
大夫 is colloquial and mostly used in northern China. 医生 is the standard/formal word for doctor used everywhere.

Stroke Order