老 (lǎo) — old / elderly

老 (lǎo)

An adjective primarily meaning "old" or "elderly" when describing people. It also conveys respect, experience, and seniority. As a prefix 老, it can be used before surnames or numbers to address people familiarly (老王, 老三). Its antonym for people and concepts is 新 (xīn, new); for objects, the antonym is 旧 (jiù, old/worn-out).

Meanings

1. [adjective] Old, elderly (of people or animals).
2. [adjective] Long-established, experienced, veteran.
3. [prefix] Used before surnames for a familiar address (老王, Old Wang).

Example Sentences

她的祖母年纪很老了。 Tā de zǔmǔ niánjì hěn lǎo le. Her grandmother is very old.

老师，您好！ Lǎoshī, nín hǎo! Hello, Teacher!

这是一家老餐馆，有五十年了。 Zhè shì yī jiā lǎo cānguǎn, yǒu wǔshí nián le. This is an old restaurant, it has been around for fifty years.

老王，你最近怎么样？ Lǎo Wáng, nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? Old Wang, how have you been lately?

Collocations

Memory Hook

Antonym of 新 (xīn, new). 老 shows a bent figure (an old person stooping with age) with hair on top. White hair, bent back: 老 is time's mark on a person.