Chinese word

老人

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo rén

Meaning

  • nounelderly person

Example

我们要尊重老人。wǒ men yào zūn zhòng lǎo rén

We should respect elderly people.

Illustration for 老人 (elderly person)

More examples

邻居常常看望老人。lín jū cháng cháng kàn wàng lǎo rén

Neighbors often visit elderly people.

Core concept

A person in a later stage of life, often recognized by age and visible signs of aging.

Common phrases

  • 帮助老人bāng zhù lǎo rén

    help elderly people

  • 照顾老人zhào gù lǎo rén

    care for elderly people

  • 关心老人guān xīn lǎo rén

    care about elderly people

Similar words

长辈zhǎng bèi: A respected person from an older generation within a family or group.
老年人lǎo nián rén: A polite and widely used term for an elderly person.
老人家lǎo rén jiā: A gentle, conversational form of address for an older person.

Definition in Chinese

指年纪较大、身体或容貌显出老年特征的人。zhǐ nián jì jiào dà shēn tǐ huò róng mào xiǎn chū lǎo nián tè zhēng de rén

Word origin

老 (lǎo, "old") describes age, while 人 (rén, "person") identifies the human being, so their compound names an older person.

Usage tips

  • Chinese does not add a plural ending to this noun, so the same form can describe one elderly person or a group of them.

Other meanings

  • eldernoun

Opposites

  • 年轻人nián qīng rényoung personnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word