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 lǎo adjective outdated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

• 老眼昏花 blurred vision of an old person
• 老幺(老么) youngest
• 耆儒硕老(耆儒碩老) an elderly eminent scholar
• 父老 elders
• 老年性痴呆症(老年性痴獃症) senile dementia
• 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
• 老娘 my old mother; I, this old woman; my old lady; maternal grandmother; midwife
• 老少无欺(老少無欺) cheating neither old nor young; treating youngsters and old folk equally scrupulously
• 老头(老頭) old man
• 老奶奶 father's father's mother; paternal great-grandmother; respectful form of address for an old woman
• 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
• 老太婆 old woman
• 老鼠拉龟，无从下手(老鼠拉龜，無從下手) like mice trying to pull a turtle, nowhere to get a hand grip; no clue where to start
• 老妈(老媽) mother; mom
• 老早 a long time ago
• 服老 to admit to one's advancing years; to acquiesce to old age
• 老鼠洞 mouse hole
• 老板娘 proprietess ; female proprietor; lady boss; boss's wife
• 老街旧邻(老街舊鄰) old neighborhood
• 一切反动派都是纸老虎(一切反動派都是紙老虎) all reactionaries are paper tigers
• 狗逮老鼠 a dog who catches mice; to be meddlesome
• 老鼠过街，人人喊打(老鼠過街，人人喊打) when a rat crosses the street, people chase it down; everyone detests a lowlife
• 养老送终(養老送終) to look after one's aged parents and arrange proper burial after they die
• 老马恋栈(老馬戀棧) the old horse loves his stable; sb old but reluctant to relinquish their post
• 老丈人 father-in-law (wife's father)
• 老手 experienced person; an old hand
• 老城区(老城區) Laocheng district ; old city district / historical center
• 老天爷(老天爺) God; Heavens
• 老佛爷(老佛爺) title of respect for the queen mother or the emperor's father
• 老处女(老處女) unmarried old woman; spinster
• 白头偕老(白頭偕老) (to live together until the) white hairs of old age; to live to a ripe old age in conjugal bliss; until death do us part
• 老头儿(老頭兒) old man ; father ; husband
• 古老 ancient; old ; an old storyteller
• 老大徒伤悲(老大徒傷悲) vain regrets of old age
• 老化 aging
• 百老汇剧院(百老匯劇院) Broadway theatre
• 老着脸(老著臉) shamelessly
• 老视(老視) presbyopia
• 老生常谭(老生常譚) a scholarly but banal observation
• 养老保险(養老保險) old-age insurance
• 老糊涂(老糊塗) dotard
• 忠诚老实(忠誠老實) true and faithful
• 老鹰星云(老鷹星雲) Eagle or Star Queen Nebula M16
• 老实巴交(老實巴交) docile; well-behaved; biddable
• 老妈子(老媽子) older female servant; amah
• 老视眼(老視眼) presbyopia
• 托老所 senior center
• 返老还童(返老還童) to recover one's youthful vigor; to feel rejuvenated

Also contained in

老山自行车馆 、 五老峰 、 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
• 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
• 老币 (老幣) 授老币 — The Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial 儀禮, 聘禮 第八 8. Rites of courtesy calls — count: 4