How common it is
老 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say lǎo slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“老”用来描述年龄较大的人或事物。
lǎo lái gūo miáo jiào yú nián dà de rén huò shì wù.
The word “老” is used to describe older people or things.
Context note
这个词常用于描述老年人或久远的事物。
zhè gè cí cháng yòng lái miáo jiào lǎo rén huò qù yuǎn de shì wù.
This word is commonly used to describe elderly people or things that are far in the past.
5 examples
他是我的老朋友。
tā shì wǒ de lǎo péng yǒu。
He is my old friend.
这是一本老书。
zhè shì yì běn lǎo shū。
This is an old book.
他爷爷已经很老了。
tā yé ye yǐ jīng hěn lǎo le。
His grandfather is very old.
这个故事很老，但很有意思。
zhè ge gù shì hěn lǎo， dàn hěn yǒu yì sī。
This story is old, but it's very interesting.
老树已经枯萎了。
lǎo shù yǐ jīng kū wěi le。
The old tree has withered.
5 mini stories
爷爷教我下棋，他说这是他年轻时的老爱好。
yé ye jiào wǒ xià qí， tā shuō zhè shì tā nián qīng shí de lǎo ài hào。
Grandpa taught me how to play chess. He said it was his old hobby when he was young.
奶奶做的老汤特别好喝。
nǎi nai zuò de lǎo tāng tè bié hǎo hē。
Grandma's homemade soup is particularly delicious.
这棵树已经很老了，但它依然茂盛。
zhè kē shù yǐ jīng hěn lǎo le， dàn tā yī rán mào shèng。
This tree is very old, but it still thrives.
我爸爸年轻时是个老球迷。
wǒ bà ba nián qīng shí shì gè lǎo qiú mí。
My dad was a big football fan when he was young.
这是一首老歌，但很多人仍然喜欢听。
zhè shì yì shǒu lǎo gē， dàn hěn duō rén réng rán xǐ huan tīng。
This is an old song, but many people still like to listen to it.