Chinese word

老年

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo nián

Meaning

  • nounold age

Example

我担心自己的老年没有人照顾。wǒ dān xīn zì jǐ de lǎo nián méi yǒu rén zhào gù

I worry that no one will take care of me in my old age.

Illustration for 老年 (old age)

More examples

社区有很多活动，帮助老年人交朋友。shè qū yǒu hěn duō huó dòng bāng zhù lǎo nián rén jiāo péng yǒu

There are many activities in the community that help older people make friends.

Core concept

Life's later chapter, where familiar routines may require more support and social roles may shift.

Common phrases

  • 老年人lǎo nián rén

    older people

  • 照顾老年人zhào gù lǎo nián rén

    take care of older people

  • 帮助老年人bāng zhù lǎo nián rén

    help older people

Similar words

晚年wǎn nián: The last part of life, with attention to a person's later life and feelings.
老后lǎo hòu: The private life and everyday routines that come with growing old or retiring.
老龄lǎo líng: The condition or age group of older people, often used in government and statistics.

Definition in Chinese

表示人步入老年阶段的时间段，常指随年龄增长出现的生活自理能力下降和社会角色变化的时期。biǎo shì rén bù rù lǎo nián jiē duàn de shí jiān duàn cháng zhǐ suí nián líng zēng zhǎng chū xiàn de shēng huó zì lǐ néng lì xià jiàng hé shè huì jué sè biàn huà de shí qī

Word origin

老 (lǎo, "old") + 年 (nián, "year") combines the ideas of advanced age and a span of time to name the later stage of life.

Usage tips

  • In formal Chinese about health, care, and social roles, this term appears more often in reports and service information than in casual descriptions of someone's looks.

Other meanings

  • later yearsnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word