大尉 (dàwèi): captain (army rank)

Meanings

1 captain (army rank)
2 senior captain

Characters

大

military officer rank

Examples

他是俄罗斯军队的一名大尉。

Tā shì Éluósī jūnduì de yì míng dàwèi.

He is a captain in the Russian army.

大尉，请下达命令。

Dàwèi, qǐng xiàdá mìnglìng.

Captain, please give the order.

Tips

usage

大尉 is mostly used in translations of foreign (especially Russian/Soviet and old Japanese imperial) ranks. The PRC's PLA replaced 大尉 with 上尉 (shàngwèi, "senior captain") in the 1965 rank reform, so in modern Chinese army contexts you'll see 上尉. In subtitle data 大尉 typically tags a Russian Капитан or Japanese 大尉 (taii).

history

尉 was a military officer title as early as the Qin dynasty (太尉 "Grand Marshal" was one of the 三公). The 大尉 grade specifically existed in the PRC's 1955-1965 rank system, modeled on the Soviet army.