Chinese word

老化

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo huà

Meaning

  • verbage

Example

随着年龄增长，身体会逐渐老化。suí zhe nián líng zēng zhǎng shēn tǐ huì zhú jiàn lǎo huà

As people age, the body gradually ages.

Illustration for 老化 (age)

More examples

长期暴晒会使皮肤提前老化。cháng qī pù shài huì shǐ pí fū tí qián lǎo huà

Prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause the skin to age prematurely.

Core concept

A once-new body, material, or device gradually loses its original strength, freshness, or performance under the passage of time.

Common phrases

  • 皮肤老化pí fū lǎo huà

    skin aging

  • 细胞老化xì bāo lǎo huà

    cell aging

  • 大脑老化dà nǎo lǎo huà

    brain aging

Similar words

衰老shuāi lǎo: Gradually decline in bodily function or appearance as part of growing old.
变老biàn lǎo: Grow older and enter the state of being old.
退化tuì huà: Decline from a previous level of function or ability.
劣化liè huà: Suffer a gradual drop in material quality or equipment performance from use or age.

Definition in Chinese

指生物或无生命事物因时间影响而性质、功能逐渐衰退的变化过程。zhǐ shēng wù huò wú shēng mìng shì wù yīn shí jiān yíng xiǎng ér xìng zhì gōng néng zhú jiàn shuāi tuì de biàn huà guò chéng

Word origin

老化 (lǎohuà, "aging") is built from 老 (lǎo, "old") and 化 (huà, "change"), so its form highlights the process of becoming old rather than simply being old.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the word works for objects such as rubber, batteries, and equipment as well as for people, making it practical in conversations about why something works less well.

Opposites

  • 年轻化nián qīng huàrejuvenateverb

Related words

  • 抗老化剂kàng lǎo huà jìanti-aging agentnoun
  • 老化机制lǎo huà jī zhìaging mechanismnoun

Word lists with this word