Chinese word

古

Pronunciation

Pinyingǔ

Meaning

  • adjectiveold

Example

书店里有很多古书。shū diàn lǐ yǒu hěn duō gǔ shū

There are many old books in the bookstore.

Illustration for 古 (old)

More examples

古时候，人们没有手机。gǔ shí hòu rén men méi yǒu shǒu jī

In the old days, people did not have cell phones.

Core concept

Something that carries the imprint of an earlier age, through its date, form, or tradition.

Common phrases

  • 古书gǔ shū

    old books

  • 古时候gǔ shí hòu

    in the old days

Similar words

老lǎo: Describes a person or animal of advanced age.
旧jiù: Describes something from an earlier time that is no longer new.

Definition in Chinese

表示时间久远或属于过去年代的性质，常用作定语，指事物年代较早或保留古时风貌。biǎo shì shí jiān jiú yuǎn huò shǔ yú guò qù nián dài de xìng zhì cháng yòng zuò dìng yǔ zhǐ shì wù nián dài jiào zǎo huò bǎo liú gǔ shí fēng mào

Word origin

The central meaning of 古 (gǔ, "old") develops from the distant past to objects and customs that come from that past or retain its character.

Usage tips

  • For a person who has lived many years, everyday Chinese normally uses 老 (lǎo, "old") rather than 古 (gǔ, "old"), which mainly describes things linked to an earlier period.

Other meanings

  • antiqueadjective
  • ancientadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word