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 lǎo adjective outdated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

• 释老(釋老) Buddhism and Daoism
• 老爹 father; old man; sir
• 元老院 upper house; senate; senior statesmen's assembly
• 老一辈(老一輩) the previous generation
• 老病 old age and sickness
• 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
• 老虎凳 tiger bench (torture method in which the victim sits with legs extended horizontally along a bench, upper legs held down with straps while bricks are inserted under the feet, forcing the knee joint to bend in reverse)
• 男女老少 men, women, young and old; all kinds of people; people of all ages
• 释老志(釋老志) Treatise on Buddhism and Daoism
• 老婆孩子热炕头(老婆孩子熱炕頭) wife, kids and a warm bed; the simple and good life
• 大老婆 primary wife
• 老婆饼(老婆餅) laopo pastry
• 隔壁老王 Mr Wang from next door
• 老父 father; old man; venerable sir
• 老生儿(老生兒) children of old and rich parents
• 老脸(老臉) self-respect of old person; face; thick-skinned (i.e. impervious to criticism); brazen
• 过街老鼠(過街老鼠) sb or sth detested by all; target of scorn; anathema; cf. 老鼠過街，人人喊打|老鼠过街，人人喊打
• 老东西(老東西) (derog.) old fool; old bastard
• 老爷车(老爺車) classic car
• 圣诞老人(聖誕老人) Father Christmas; Santa Claus
• 老兄 brother; comrade
• 人老珠黄(人老珠黃) (of a woman) old and faded
• 老城区(老城區) Laocheng district ; old city district / historical center
• 忠诚老实(忠誠老實) true and faithful
• 长生不老(長生不老) to live forever without growing old; to be immortal
• 老爷(老爺) lord; master ; maternal grandfather ; gentleman; aristocrat ; husband
• 老毛子 Westerner (esp. a Russian)
• 老花 presbyopia
• 老帽儿(老帽兒) country bumpkin; a hick
• 老谱(老譜) old ways; old habit
• 老实(老實) honest; sincere; open and guileless; naive ; honest; sincere ; timid; overly cautious ; well-behaved
• 老地方 same place as before; usual place; stomping ground
• 小老婆 mistress; concubine
• 老板娘 proprietess ; female proprietor; lady boss; boss's wife
• 老年人 old people; the elderly
• 老人 an old person; old people; the aged
• 官老爷(官老爺) nickname for official
• 老妈子(老媽子) older female servant; amah
• 老王卖瓜，自卖自夸(老王賣瓜，自賣自誇) every potter praises his own pot; all one's geese are swans
• 回老家 to go back to one's roots; to return to one's native place
• 老来俏(老來俏) old person who dresses up as teenager; mutton dressed as lamb
• 月老 matchmaker; go-between
• 老油子 wily old fox; crafty fellow
• 老少咸宜 suitable for young and old
• 家老 a senior in one's household
• 老吾老，以及人之老，幼吾幼，以及人之幼 to honor old people as we do our own aged parents, and care for other's children as one's own
• 以老大自居 regarding oneself as number one in terms of leadership, seniority or status
• 老将(老將) old general; commander-in-chief 將帥|将帅, the equivalent of king in Chinese chess; old-timer

Also contained in

法老 、 文老古 、 东城老父传

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
• 第十六回 Chapter 16 Journey to the West 西遊記 — count: 41
• 第三十四回 Chapter 34 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
• 第三十九回 Chapter 39 The Scholars 儒林外史 — 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
• 庶老 (庶老) 養庶老於下庠 — The Book of Rites 禮記, 《王制》 Royal Regulations — count: 8
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 请老 (請老) 乃請老 — The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals 春秋左氏傳, 宣公 Lord Xuan — count: 4