老 lǎo — old, aged; long-established; (before a verb) always, forever doing something; a familiar or respectful prefix for people
拼音
- lǎo (third tone, dipping)
old, aged; long-established; (before a verb) always, forever doing something; a familiar or respectful prefix for people
字形拆解
Ideographic description
⿸耂匕The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.
- 耂meaning partno entry yetA stooping figure with the hair left long — the top of the character, and a radical in its own right.
- 匕shape partno entry yetIn the received analysis, the staff the figure leans on.
Mnemonic
A stooping figure whose hair has been left long, propped on a staff — the same idea that 长 draws, from the other end. It is a radical in its own right and heads 考 and 者. Two everyday jobs go beyond age: it prefixes people warmly or respectfully — 老师 a teacher, 老板 a boss, 老王 old Wang — and before a verb it means "always": 他老迟到.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.