老佛爷 Traditional form: 老佛爺 Pinyin (reading): Lǎofóyé Definitions: title of respect for the queen mother or the emperor's father nickname for Empress Dowager Cixi 慈禧太后 ( Cíxǐtàihòu) Characters: 老 - old, aged; experienced 佛 - Buddha; Buddhist 爷 - grandfather, old man Traditional characters: 老 - old, aged; experienced 佛 - Buddha; Buddhist 爺 - grandfather, old man