老天爷

老天爺

lǎotiānyé

interjection #4,045

Meanings

老天爷，这到底是怎么回事？

Lǎotiānyé, zhè dàodǐ shì zěnme huíshì?

Good Lord, what on earth is going on?

老天爷保佑我们平安。

Lǎotiānyé bǎoyòu wǒmen píng'ān.

May God keep us safe.

usage

老天爷 is a colloquial exclamation similar to 'Oh my God' or 'Good heavens'. It can also refer to Heaven/God in a folk religious sense.

Very informal and emotional. Used in spoken Chinese to express shock, frustration, or desperate pleading.

老 lǎo

天 tiān

爷 yé