老

老 U+8001, 老 ← 耀[U+8000] CJK Unified Ideographs 耂 →[U+8002] ⽼ U+2F7C, ⽼ ← ⽻[U+2F7B] Kangxi Radicals ⽽ →[U+2F7D] 老 U+F934, 老 ← 盧[U+F933] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 蘆 →[U+F935] Stroke order Stroke order

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

trad. 老 simp. # 老 alternative forms 𠄰𦒳𠈣

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; senior; 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. [Pinyin]One’s memory worsens when age increases. 老布什 ― lǎo Bùshí ― Bush Sr. (George H. W. Bush)
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 outdated; old-fashioned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. 4th century BCELǎo wú lǎo, yǐjí rén zhī lǎo. [Pinyin]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 versionFán Chí qǐng xué jià, Zǐ yuē: “Wú bùrú lǎonóng.” [Pinyin]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. 4th century BCELǎo wú lǎo, yǐjí rén zhī lǎo. [Pinyin]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. [Pinyin]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. [Pinyin]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! [colloquial, somewhat regional] 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.]Tā jiào gěi wǒ de dàolǐ hái hěnduō, lìrú shuō rén sǐle, bùgāi shuō sǐdiào, bìxū shuō “lǎo diào le”. [Pinyin]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.]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. Coordinate term: (for younger people) 小 (xiǎo) 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. [Pinyin]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. (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 koeng4-2 [Jyutping] ― rape 老作 [Cantonese] ― lou5 zok3 [Jyutping] ― made-up 發老脾／发老脾 [Cantonese] ― faat3 lou5 pei4-2 [Jyutping] ― to get angry 老解 [Hong Kong Cantonese] ― lou5 gaai2 [Jyutping] ― People’s Liberation Army
18. (Cantonese, colloquial) Prefix for nouns to express familiarity. 老尖 [Hong Kong Cantonese] ― lou5 zim1 [Jyutping] ― Tsim Sha Tsui 老銅／老铜 [Hong Kong Cantonese] ― lou5 tung4-2 [Jyutping] ― 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)

• “老”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014-
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A03251

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. old age, an elderly person, the aged, the elderly

• Go-on: ろう (rō, Jōyō)←らう (rau, historical)
• Kan-on: ろう (rō, Jōyō)←らう (rau, historical)
• Kun: おいる (oiru, 老いる, Jōyō)、ふける (fukeru, 老ける, Jōyō)、おい (oi)
• Nanori: えび (ebi)、おい (oi)、び (bi)

From Middle Chinese 老 (MC lawX).

Historical readings Dongguk Jeongun reading Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 로ᇢ〯 (Yale: lwǒw) Middle Korean Text Eumhun Gloss (hun) Reading Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[2] 늘글〮 (Yale: nùlkúl) 로〯 (Yale: lwŏ)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ɾo̞(ː)] ~ [no̞(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [로(ː)/노(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

老 (eumhun 늙을 로 (neulgeul ro), word-initial (South Korea) 늙을 노 (neulgeul no))

1. hanja form? of 로/노 (“old”) [affix; suffix]

老: Hán Việt readings: lão[1][2][3] 老: Nôm readings: lảo[1][3][4], lảu[1][3][4], lão[1][2], lẽo[1][3], láu[3][4], rảu[3][4], láo[1], lạo[1], não[1], rau[1], sáu[1], lểu[2], lếu[3], lẩu[3]

1. chữ Hán form of lão (“old; aged”)