老 lǎo

1. lǎo adjective old; aged; elderly; aging
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Time
   Notes: For example, in literary Chinese, 老馬識途 'an old horse knows the road', from Han Feizi's Shuo Lin Shang (ABC 'lǎo' 老 sv 1; DCP 'L50'; Kroll 2015 '老' 1; Unihan '老')
2. lǎo noun Kangxi radical 125
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Radicals
   Notes: (ABC back cover; GHC p. 7)
3. lǎo prefix indicates seniority or age
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   Notes: In this use, 老 is a prefix used with a person's surname to indicate seniority or with numbers to indicate order or birth amongst brothers and sisters in a familar. For example, 老大 'eldest child' (ABC 'lǎo' 老 prefix 1; Kroll 2015 '老' 1a; Norman 1988, p. 113; Sun 2006, loc. 691).
4. lǎo adjective vegetables that have become old and tough
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Food and Drink
   Notes: (ABC 'lǎo' 老 sv 4)
5. lǎo adverb always
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
   Notes: Note that in this sense 老 is used before the verb it modifies (ABC 'lǎo' 老 adv 2; Sun 2006, loc. 2053)
6. lǎo adverb very
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
   Notes: (ABC 'lǎo' 老 adv 1)
7. lǎo adjective experienced
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Unihan '老')
8. lǎo bound form humble self-reference
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: Bound with 老身 'oldy' (Kroll 2015 '老' 1b)
9. lǎo adjective of long standing
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Time
   Notes: (ABC 'lǎo' 老 sv 2)
10. lǎo adjective dark
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Color
    Notes: Of colors (ABC 'lǎo' 老 sv 5)
11. lǎo adjective outdated
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Time
    Notes: (ABC 'lǎo' 老 sv 3)
12. lǎo noun old people; the elderly
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
    Notes: (ABC 'lǎo' 老 n 1)
13. lǎo noun parents
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Family
    Notes: (ABC 'lǎo' 老 n 2)
14. lǎo prefix indicates familiarity
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
    Notes: In this use, 老 is a diminutive venacular form used with a person's surname to indicate familiarity. For example, Lao Wang 老王, for somebody whose surname is Wang (ABC 'lǎo' 老 prefix 2; Kroll 2015 '老' 1a; Norman 1988, p. 113; Sun 2006, loc. 691).
15. lǎo adverb for a long time
    Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 , Subdomain: Function Words
    Notes: (ABC 'lǎo' 老 adv 3)

Contained in

• 月老 matchmaker; go-between
• 老老 maternal grandmother
• 老耄 dim sight of the aged; doddering; senile
• 老奶奶 father's father's mother; paternal great-grandmother; respectful form of address for an old woman
• 老大徒伤悲(老大徒傷悲) vain regrets of old age
• 老板娘 proprietess ; female proprietor; lady boss; boss's wife
• 老宿 a respected elderly person
• 老实(老實) honest; sincere; open and guileless; naive ; honest; sincere ; timid; overly cautious ; well-behaved
• 老套子 old methods; old habits
• 徐娘半老 middle-aged but still attractive woman; lady of a certain age
• 老虎灶 old-style large kitchen stove
• 月下老人 minor divinity concerned with marriage; matchmaker; go-between
• 老框框 rigid conventions; reactionary framework
• 老生常谭(老生常譚) a scholarly but banal observation
• 老神在在 calm; unperturbed; (Taiwanese, Tai-lo pr. )
• 老气横秋(老氣橫秋) arrogant because of one's seniority
• 老病 old age and sickness
• 老虎机(老虎機) slot machine
• 老城 old town; old district of a city
• 养老送终(養老送終) to look after one's aged parents and arrange proper burial after they die
• 野老 an older person who works in the field ; an older person who works in the field
• 老手 experienced person; an old hand
• 老式 old-fashioned; old style
• 不管白猫黑猫，捉住老鼠就是好猫(不管白貓黑貓，捉住老鼠就是好貓) it doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black
• 一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤(一顆老鼠屎壞了一鍋湯) a piece of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of soup; one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch
• 天荒地老 until the end of time
• 古老肉 sweet and sour pork
• 老旧(老舊) outmoded; old-fashioned
• 老例 a convention; a habit; a custom
• 老着脸(老著臉) shamelessly
• 敬老 respect for the aged
• 老鸟(老鳥) old hand; veteran
• 老相识(老相識) an old acquaintance
• 老太爷(老太爺) elderly gentleman (respectful); esteemed father
• 男女老少 men, women, young and old; all kinds of people; people of all ages
• 老幺(老么) youngest
• 天老儿(天老兒) albino (human)
• 老当益壮(老當益壯) old but vigorous; hale and hearty despite the years
• 老伴儿(老伴兒) husband or wife
• 颓老(頹老) old and decrepit; senile
• 老雕(老鵰) vulture
• 九旬老人 nonagenarian
• 老妪(老嫗) old woman
• 老字号(老字號) shop, firm, or brand of merchandise with a long-established reputation
• 老少皆宜 suitable for both the young and the old
• 老少无欺(老少無欺) cheating neither old nor young; treating youngsters and old folk equally scrupulously
• 钻石王老五(鑽石王老五) highly eligible bachelor; desirable male partner

Also contained in

老舍纪念馆 、 文老古 、 王老吉 、 八大元老

Word is mentioned most frequently in

Truncated for common words

• 第二十一回 Chapter 21 The Scholars 儒林外史 — count: 73
• 第七十五回 Chapter 75 Journey to the West 西遊記 — count: 68
• 第三十五回 Chapter 35 Journey to the West 西遊記 — count: 51
• 第三十八回 Chapter 38 The Scholars 儒林外史 — count: 49
• 第二十四回 Chapter 24 Water Margin 水滸傳 — count: 46
• 第一回 Chapter 1 The Scholars 儒林外史 — count: 43
• 第三十四回 Chapter 34 Journey to the West 西遊記 — count: 41
• 第十六回 Chapter 16 Journey to the West 西遊記 — count: 41
• 卷十九　　　　　志第九　　　　禮樂九 Volume 19 Treatises 9: Rites and Music 9 New Book of Tang 新唐書 — count: 40
• 第九十回 Chapter 90 Journey to the West 西遊記 — count: 37

Collocations

• 叔老 (叔老) 季孫宿叔老會晉士匄 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 襄公 Lord Xiang — count: 12
• 国老 (國老) 國老皆賀子文 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 僖公 Lord Xi — count: 11
• 老幼 (老幼) 無有老幼 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 僖公 Lord Xi — count: 10
• 三老 (三老) 而三老凍餒 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 昭公 Lord Zhao — count: 8
• 庶老 (庶老) 養庶老於下庠 — The Book of Rites 禮記, 《王制》 Royal Regulations — count: 8
• 室老 (室老) 室老聞之曰 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 襄公 Lord Xiang — count: 7
• 老会 (老會) 季孫宿叔老會晉士匄 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 襄公 Lord Xiang — count: 6
• 授老 (授老) 授老鴈 — The Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial 儀禮, 士昬禮 第二 2. Nuptial rites for a common officer — count: 5
• 襄老 (襄老) 射連尹襄老 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 宣公 Lord Xuan — count: 5
• 师老 (師老) 師老矣 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 僖公 Lord Xi — count: 4