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 lǎo adjective outdated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

• 老饕 glutton
• 老化 aging
• 老框框 rigid conventions; reactionary framework
• 老墨 a Mexican
• 老辈(老輩) the older generation; ancestors
• 老花 presbyopia
• 老歌 an old song
• 老早 a long time ago
• 老牛舐犊(老牛舐犢) an old ox licking its calf; (of parents) to dote on one's children
• 老头(老頭) old man
• 臭老九 stinking intellectual (contemptuous term for educated people during the Cultural Revolution)
• 饱以老拳(飽以老拳) to thump repeatedly with one's fist
• 啃老 to live with and depend on one's parents even upon reaching adulthood
• 老年痴呆(老年痴獃) senile dementia; Alzheimer's disease
• 老中 a Chinese person
• 老牛破车(老牛破車) old ox pulling a shabby cart; slow and inefficient
• 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
• 老茧(老繭) callus; corns
• 托老所 senior center
• 老帽儿(老帽兒) country bumpkin; a hick
• 老天爷饿不死瞎家雀(老天爺餓不死瞎家雀) heaven won't let the sparrows go hungry; don't give up hope
• 老花镜(老花鏡) presbyopic glasses
• 老兵 veteran
• 老粗 uneducated person; yokel; boor; roughneck
• 老谋深算(老謀深算) rigorous schemes and deep foresight; astute and circumspect
• 老资格(老資格) veteran
• 老练(老練) seasoned; experienced
• 父老 elders
• 长生不老(長生不老) to live forever without growing old; to be immortal
• 早老素 presenilins
• 老娘 my old mother; I, this old woman; my old lady; maternal grandmother; midwife
• 龙头老大(龍頭老大) a big boss; the leader of a group
• 老抠(老摳) penny-pincher; miser
• 老少咸宜 suitable for young and old
• 老马嘶风(老馬嘶風) old horse sniffs the wind; aged person with great aspirations
• 老学(老學) well studied
• 老花眼 presbyopia
• 老拙 old fart (usually in self-reference); geezer
• 老贼(老賊) an old thief
• 老大妈(老大媽) Madam
• 老大娘(老大孃) aunty; granny
• 老妪(老嫗) old woman
• 老太太 elderly lady ; mother
• 老骥(老驥) old thoroughbred; aged person with great aspirations
• 老母 mother
• 老街旧邻(老街舊鄰) old neighborhood

Also contained in

老爷岭 、 王老吉 、 老河口市 、 八大元老 、 哥老会

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
• 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
• 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