Learning : Let's Bargain
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AskBenny
Chinese Mandarin :
Registered on : 2008-04-20
Language : None
Posts : 2
Responses : 0
Comments : 6
2008-05-15 / 03:44PM
What’s Lao ban
Chinese Mandarin :
Registered on : 2008-08-11
Language : None
Posts : 1
Responses : 0
Comments : 5
2008-08-22 / 10:29AM
My feeling was it is a title for the shopkeeper. Actually laoban is constructed the same way as laoshi (master, teacher), lao meaning old. I looked for ban, it means boss. So basically you say old boss – a kinship term for the shopkeeper. Translate it by shopkeeper… pretty sure Benny will agree with this explanation lol
Chinese Mandarin :
Registered on : 2008-08-11
Language : None
Posts : 1
Responses : 0
Comments : 5
2008-08-22 / 10:34AM
laoban, zhe ge tai gui le, pian yi yi dian? 老板，这个太贵了， 便宜一点？
shopkeeper, this one is expensive, can you make it a little cheaper?
Chinese Mandarin :
Registered on : 2010-07-04
Language : English
Posts : 0
Responses : 0
Comments : 9
2010-08-24 / 08:54PM
To address the before comments.
You guys are sort of right but not exactly right.
In China you will hear 老板lǎobǎn used a lot it means boss. However, it is used for any business owner or anyone in charge of a business. Therefore, lǎobǎn is used as a polite term for anyone in a shop or business you are dealing with. There are exceptions for waiter / waitress in a restaurant, cleaners and chamber maids in a hotel, another exception is drivers unless these people actually own the business.
So just, look at lǎobǎn as a polite term.
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