prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerable (person); experienced; of long standing; always; all the time; of the pas
lit. an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1000 miles (idiom); fig. old people may still cherish high aspirations
老骥嘶风老驥嘶風lao3 ji4 si1 feng1
old steed sniffs the wind (idiom); fig. aged person with great aspirations
老家老家lao3 jia1
native place; place of origin; home state or region
老家伙老家伙lao3 jia1 huo5
(coll.) old fellow; old codger
老家伙老傢伙lao3 jia1 huo5
variant of 老家伙
老家贼老家賊lao3 jia1 zei2
(dialect) sparrow
老奸巨滑老奸巨滑lao3 jian1 ju4 hua2
variant of 老奸巨猾
老奸巨猾老奸巨猾lao3 jian1 ju4 hua2
cunning; crafty; wily old fox
老茧老繭lao3 jian3
callus (patch or hardened skin); corns (on feet); also 老趼
老趼老趼lao3 jian3
callus (patch or hardened skin); corns (on feet)
老江湖老江湖lao3 jiang1 hu2
a much-travelled person, well acquainted with the ways of the world
老将老將lao3 jiang4
lit. old general; commander-in-chief 將帥|将帅, the equivalent of king in Chinese chess; fig. old-timer; veteran
老街老街lao3 jie1
Lao Cai, Vietnam; Laokai or Laukkai, Burma (Myanmar)
老境老境lao3 jing4
advanced years; old age
老酒老酒lao3 jiu3
wine, esp. Shaoxing wine
老旧老舊lao3 jiu4
outmoded; old-fashioned
老君老君lao3 jun1
Laozi or Lao-tze (c. 500 BC), Chinese philosopher, the founder of Taoism; the sacred book of Daoism, 道德經|道德经 by Laozi
老客老客lao3 ke4
peddler; old or regular customer
老客儿老客兒lao3 ke4 er5
erhua variant of 老客
老抠老摳lao3 kou1
penny-pincher; miser
老框框老框框lao3 kuang4 kuang4
rigid conventions; reactionary framework
老辣老辣lao3 la4
shrewd and ruthless; efficient and unscrupulous
老来俏老來俏lao3 lai2 qiao4
old person who dresses up as teenager; mutton dressed as lamb
老来少老來少lao3 lai2 shao4
old but young at heart
老老老老lao3 lao5
maternal grandmother; same as 姥姥
老脸老臉lao3 lian3
self-respect of old person; face; thick-skinned (i.e. impervious to criticism); brazen
老练老練lao3 lian4
seasoned; experienced
老两口儿老兩口兒lao3 liang3 kou3 er5
an old married couple
老龄老齡lao3 ling2
old age; aging; aged; geriatric; the aged
老龄化老齡化lao3 ling2 hua4
aging (population)
老路老路lao3 lu4
old road; familiar way; beaten track; conventional behavior
老妈老媽lao3 ma1
mother; mom
老妈子老媽子lao3 ma1 zi5
older female servant; amah
老马恋栈老馬戀棧lao3 ma3 lian4 zhan4
lit. the old horse loves his stable; fig. sb old but reluctant to relinquish their post (idiom)
老马识途老馬識途lao3 ma3 shi2 tu2
an old horse knows the way (idiom); an experienced worker knows what to do; an old hand knows the ropes
老马嘶风老馬嘶風lao3 ma3 si1 feng1
old horse sniffs the wind (idiom); fig. aged person with great aspirations
老迈老邁lao3 mai4
aged; senile
老毛病老毛病lao3 mao2 bing4
chronic illness; old weakness; chronic problem
老毛子老毛子lao3 mao2 zi5
Westerner (esp. a Russian) (derog.)
老耄老耄lao3 mao4
dim sight of the aged; doddering; senile
老帽儿老帽兒lao3 mao4 er5
(dialect) country bumpkin; a hick
老美老美lao3 mei3
(coll.) an American; person from the United States
老墨老墨lao3 mo4
(coll.) a Mexican
老谋深算老謀深算lao3 mou2 shen1 suan4
rigorous schemes and deep foresight (idiom); astute and circumspect
老姥老姥lao3 mu3
old lady (term of modesty)
老奶奶老奶奶lao3 nai3 nai5
(coll.) father's father's mother; paternal great-grandmother; respectful form of address for an old woman
老年老年lao3 nian2
elderly; old age; autumn of one's years
老年痴呆老年痴獃lao3 nian2 chi1 dai1
senile dementia; Alzheimer's disease
老年痴呆症老年痴獃症lao3 nian2 chi1 dai1 zheng4
senile dementia; Alzheimer's disease
老年期老年期lao3 nian2 qi1
old age
老年人老年人lao3 nian2 ren2
old people; the elderly
老年性痴呆症老年性痴獃症lao3 nian2 xing4 chi1 dai1 zheng4
senile dementia
老娘老娘lao3 niang2
my old mother; I, this old woman; my old lady (colloquial); maternal grandmother; midwife
老鸟老鳥lao3 niao3
old hand; veteran
老牛吃嫩草老牛吃嫩草lao3 niu2 chi1 nen4 cao3
lit. an old cow eats young grass (idiom); fig. a May-December relationship; a romance where the man is significantly older than the woman
老牛拉破车老牛拉破車lao3 niu2 la1 po4 che1
see 老牛破車|老牛破车
老牛破车老牛破車lao3 niu2 po4 che1
lit. old ox pulling a shabby cart (idiom); fig. slow and inefficient
老牛舐犊老牛舐犢lao3 niu2 shi4 du2
lit. an old ox licking its calf (idiom); fig. (of parents) to dote on one's children
老牌老牌lao3 pai2
old, well-known brand; old style; old school; an old hand; experienced veteran
老朋友老朋友lao3 peng2 you5
old friend; (slang) period; menstruation
老婆老婆lao3 po2
(coll.) wife
老婆孩子热炕头老婆孩子熱炕頭lao3 po2 hai2 zi5 re4 kang4 tou5
wife, kids and a warm bed (idiom); the simple and good life
老谱老譜lao3 pu3
old ways; old habit
老气横秋老氣橫秋lao3 qi4 heng2 qiu1
old and decrepit; proud of one's age and experience (idiom)
老千老千lao3 qian1
cheat; swindler (in gambling)
老人老人lao3 ren2
old man or woman; the elderly; one's aged parents or grandparents
老人家老人家lao3 ren2 jia1
polite term for old woman or man
老人院老人院lao3 ren2 yuan4
nursing home; old people's home
老三篇老三篇lao3 san1 pian1
Lao San Pian, three short essays written by Mao Zedong before the PRC was established
老三色老三色lao3 san1 se4
the three plain colors used for clothing in the PRC in the 1960s: black, gray and blue
老山自行车馆老山自行車館lao3 shan1 zi4 xing2 che1 guan3
Laoshan Velodrome, a Beijing 2008 Olympics venue
老少老少lao3 shao4
the old and the young
老少皆宜老少皆宜lao3 shao4 jie1 yi2
suitable for both the young and the old
老少无欺老少無欺lao3 shao4 wu2 qi1
cheating neither old nor young; treating youngsters and old folk equally scrupulously; Our house offers sincere treatment to all and fair trade to old and young alike.
老少咸宜老少咸宜lao3 shao4 xian2 yi2
suitable for young and old
老舍老舍lao3 she3
Lao She (1899-1966), Chinese novelist and dramatist
老神在在老神在在lao3 shen2 zai4 zai4
calm; unperturbed; (Taiwanese, POJ pr. )
老生老生lao3 sheng1
venerable middle-aged or elderly man, usually wearing an artificial beard (in Chinese opera)
老生常谈老生常談lao3 sheng1 chang2 tan2
an old observation (idiom); a truism; banal comments
老师老師lao3 shi1
teacher
老实说老實說lao3 shi2 shuo1
honestly speaking; to be frank, ...
老视老視lao3 shi4
presbyopia
老式老式lao3 shi4
old-fashioned; old type; outdated
老视眼老視眼lao3 shi4 yan3
presbyopia
老是老是lao3 shi5
always
老实老實lao3 shi5
honest; sincere; well-behaved; open and guileless; naive
lit. heaven won't let the sparrows go hungry (idiom); fig. don't give up hope; if you tough it out, there will be light at the end of the tunnel
老头老頭lao3 tou2
old fellow; old man; father; husband
老头儿老頭兒lao3 tou2 er5
see 老頭子|老头子
老头乐老頭樂lao3 tou2 le4
backscratcher (made from bamboo etc); (may also refer to other products that are of benefit to old people, such as padded cloth shoes, mobility tricycle etc)
老头子老頭子lao3 tou2 zi5
(coll.) old man; (said of an aging husband) my old man
老外老外lao3 wai4
(coll.) foreigner (esp. non Asian person); layman; amateur