老大

lǎodà
noun HSK 7-9 #3,171

Meanings

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

Examples

HSK 1
Wǒ shì jiālǐ de lǎodà.
I am the eldest in my family.
HSK 2
Nǐ cái shì lǎodà, tīng nǐ de.
You're the boss, we'll do what you say.
HSK 3
Tā shì zhège bāngpài de lǎodà.
He is the boss of this gang.

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

lǎo