老

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Stroke order

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Radical 125 老

老 (Kangxi radical 125, 老+0, 6 strokes, cangjie input 十大心 (JKP), four-corner 4471₁, composition ⿱耂匕)

1. Kangxi radical #125, ⽼.

• Appendix:Chinese radical/老
• 佬, 咾, 𡋎, 姥, 峔, 𢂢, 恅, 㧯, 㳣, 狫, 𫐥, 栳, 珯, 𦚱, 𥙕, 𤶁, 𬑑, 硓, 𥞠, 粩, 𮋨, 𦕳, 蛯, 𭈱, 𧻩, 𨀼, 𨈺, 𨠬, 𫦶, 銠(铑), 𭕮, 鮱
• 𣭢, 𦓜, 䳓, 㐗, 㖈, 𪸦, 𣴐, 𭾀, 𨚻, 𮧹, 𪀧, 𭓮, 𡶰, 荖, 𪰚, 𥥧, 䇭, 𮫃, 𬴖, 𧂕, 𨴛

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 960, character 25
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 28842
• Dae Jaweon: page 1407, character 8
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2778, character 1
• Unihan data for U+8001

• Unihan data for U+F934

Historical forms of the character 老
Shang	Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)	Libian (compiled in Qing)	Kangxi Dictionary (compiled in Qing)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts	Clerical script	Ming typeface

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 人 (“man”) + 毛 (“hair”) + 匕 (“cane”) – a man with long hair (an old man), leaning on a cane. Compare top component to 孝 (OC *qʰruːs).

Cognate to 考 (OC *kʰluːʔ); the most commonly cited example of 轉注 (“reciprocal meaning”).

Unknown. Compare Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-raw (“withered, residue, corpse”), *rwat (“stiff, tough”), whence Burmese ရော် (rau, “wither, become overripe; age”), ရွတ် (rwat, “old, stiff, tough”). See also 古 (gǔ), 故 (gù).

An old Sino-Vietnamese borrowing is rệu (“overripe, pulpy”).

老

1. old; aged; elderly

   Antonyms: 幼, 少

   老樹／老树  ―  lǎoshù  ―  old tree

   老婦人／老妇人  ―  lǎo fùrén  ―  old woman

   人老了記性就差了。 [MSC, trad.]
   人老了记性就差了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Rén lǎo le jìxìng jiù chā le.

   One's memory worsens when age increases.

2. old (as opposed to new); of long standing

   Antonym: 新 (xīn)

   老歌  ―  lǎo gē  ―  old song

   老朋友  ―  lǎopéngyǒu  ―  old friend

3. outdated; old-fashioned
4. original; former

   老地方  ―  lǎo dìfāng  ―  usual place

   老本行  ―  lǎo běnháng  ―  original profession

5. the elderly; one's elders

   敬老  ―  jìnglǎo  ―  to respect the elderly

   • 老吾老，以及人之老。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Lǎo wú lǎo, yǐjí rén zhī lǎo.

     Respect my elders, and then others' elders.

6. Used after the surname of an old person to address a venerable old person

   王老  ―  Wáng lǎo  ―  revered old Wang

7. (figurative) experienced

   Antonym: 嫩 (nèn)

   老手  ―  lǎoshǒu  ―  an old hand

   老兵  ―  lǎobīng  ―  veteran

   • 樊遲請學稼，子曰：「吾不如老農。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     樊迟请学稼，子曰：「吾不如老农。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Fán Chí qǐng xué jià, Zǐ yuē: “Wú bùrú lǎonóng.”

     Fan Chi asked (Confucius) to teach him husbandry. The Master said, "I'm nowhere as good as an experienced farmhand."

8. (literary) to respect (the elderly, one's elders)

   • 老吾老，以及人之老。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Lǎo wú lǎo, yǐjí rén zhī lǎo.

     Respect my elders, and then others' elders.

9. (of cooked food) overcooked; tough; stringy; hard

   牛排太老了，我咬不動它。 [MSC, trad.]
   牛排太老了，我咬不动它。 [MSC, simp.]

   Niúpái tài lǎo le, wǒ yǎo bù dòng tā.

   The steak was so tough I couldn't eat it.

   這雞蛋煮老了，你沒掌握好火候。 [MSC, trad.]
   这鸡蛋煮老了，你没掌握好火候。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè jīdàn zhǔ lǎo le, nǐ méi zhǎngwò hǎo huǒhòu.

   This egg is hard; you didn't time it properly.

10. (of food or potable liquids) stale; not fresh
11. always; all the time

    你別老這樣！／你别老这样！  ―  Nǐ bié lǎo zhèyàng!  ―  Stop being always like this!

12. (chiefly dialectal) very; quite

    老早  ―  lǎozǎo  ―  very early

    他人老好了。  ―  Tā rén lǎo hǎo le.  ―  He is such a nice person!

    看到儂真個老開心個。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
    看到侬真个老开心个。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

    ⁵khoe-tau ⁶non ¹tsen-gheq ⁶lau ¹khe-shin-gheq [Wugniu]

    I am really happy to see you.

13. (euphemistic, of an elderly person) to die; to pass away (usually with 了 (le) or 掉 (diào))

    • 她教給我的道理還很多，例如說人死了，不該說死掉，必須說「老掉了」。 [MSC, trad.]
      她教给我的道理还很多，例如说人死了，不该说死掉，必须说「老掉了」。 [MSC, simp.]

      From: 1928, Lu Xun, 阿長與山海經 (Ah-Chang and the Classic of Mountains and Seas)

      Tā jiào gěi wǒ de dàolǐ hái hěnduō, lìrú shuō rén sǐle, bùgāi shuō sǐdiào, bìxū shuō “lǎo diào le”.

      She's taught me many more such lessons, for example, when someone dies, one ought not speak of their "death", but rather their "passing".

    • 等我老勒仔，墳做勒鄉下頭去。 [Ningbonese, trad.]
      等我老勒仔，坟做勒乡下头去。 [Ningbonese, simp.]

      From: 1996, Tang Zhenzhu, Wu Xinmin and Wu Xinxian, 寧波方言詞典, page 80

      When I die I want to have my grave in the countryside.

14. (endearing, respectful) Used before surnames to refer to heads or elder members of families.

    → 小 (xiǎo) (for younger people)

    老張馬上來了，我得趕緊收拾一下屋子。 [MSC, trad.]
    老张马上来了，我得赶紧收拾一下屋子。 [MSC, simp.]

    Lǎo Zhāng mǎshàng lái le, wǒ děi gǎnjǐn shōushí yī xià wū zǐ.

    Old Zhang is going to be here any minute. I need to hurry up and straighten the room up a bit.

15. (usually respectful and endearing) Used by analogy in several other relationship terms.

    老師／老师  ―  lǎoshī  ―  teacher

    老婆  ―  lǎopó  ―  wifey

    老公  ―  lǎogōng  ―  hubby

16. (obsolete, originally honorific) Prefix for animals or people considered senior, fierce, and often awe-inspiring.

    老鷹／老鹰  ―  lǎoyīng  ―  eagle

    老虎  ―  lǎohǔ  ―  tiger

    老鼠  ―  lǎoshǔ  ―  mouse, rat; (obsolete) bat

    老狼  ―  lǎoláng  ―  (rare) elder and experienced wolf

    老貓／老猫  ―  lǎomāo  ―  (rare) elder (potentially annoying) cat

    老狐狸  ―  lǎohúlí  ―  (surviving usage) elder, cunning and experienced fox

    老傢夥／老家伙  ―  lǎojiāhuǒ  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

    老東西／老东西  ―  lǎodōngxī  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

    老雜碎／老杂碎  ―  lǎozásuì  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

17. (Cantonese, colloquial) Prefix for nouns with negative impressions or connotations.

    老強／老强 [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  lou⁵ koeng^4-2   ―  rape

    老作 [Cantonese]  ―  lou⁵ zok³   ―  made-up

    發老脾／发老脾 [Cantonese]  ―  faat³ lou⁵ pei^4-2   ―  to get angry

    老解 [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  lou⁵ gaai²   ―  People's Liberation Army

18. (Cantonese, colloquial) Prefix for nouns to express familiarity.

    老尖 [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  lou⁵ zim¹   ―  Tsim Sha Tsui

    老銅／老铜 [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  lou⁵ tung^4-2   ―  Causeway Bay

19. (colloquial) Used before nouns, especially names of ethnicities, places and countries, to form nouns.

    老外  ―  lǎowài  ―  foreigner; (pejorative) layman, one who lacks knowledge of a subject

    老美  ―  lǎoměi  ―  Yank

    老表  ―  lǎobiǎo  ―  a friend (direct speech, may be intimate or offensive depending on provinces)

    老毛子  ―  lǎomáozi  ―  (pejorative) Russian person

    老蒙古  ―  lǎoménggǔ  ―  (pejorative) Mongols

    老北京  ―  lǎoběijīng  ―  indigenous Beijing person

    老山東／老山东  ―  lǎoshāndōng  ―  indigenous Shandong person

    老西兒／老西儿  ―  lǎoxīr  ―  (affectionate) Shanxi person

    老回回  ―  lǎohuíhuí  ―  Hui person (affectionate in some cases, pejorative in other cases, never neutral, depends on the region, speaker, listener, situation and speaking mood)

20. Short for 老子 (Lǎozǐ, “Laozi; Lao Tzu”).
21. (Mainland China, Hong Kong) Short for 老撾／老挝 (Lǎowō, “Laos”).

• (old):

• (very):

• (to die):

• (antonym(s) of “old”): 嫩 (nèn), 幼 (yòu)