老大

lǎodà

noun HSK 7 #3,171

Meanings

1 boss
2 leader
3 the eldest (child)
4 big brother

Characters

old; prefix for rank

Examples

他是这个帮派的老大。

Tā shì zhège bāngpài de lǎodà.

He is the boss of this gang.

我是家里的老大。

Wǒ shì jiā lǐ de lǎodà.

I am the eldest in my family.

你才是老大，听你的。

Nǐ cái shì lǎodà, tīng nǐ de.

You're the boss, we'll do what you say.

Tips

usage

老大 can mean the eldest sibling (老大, 老二, 老三...) or a gang/group leader. Context makes it clear.

register

As 'boss/leader', 老大 is informal and sometimes associated with underworld slang.

Stroke Order

老 lǎo

大 dà