Chinese word

老远

Pronunciation

Pinyinlǎo yuǎn

Meaning

  • adverbfrom far away

Example

她老远来看我。tā láo yuǎn lái kàn wǒ

She came from far away to see me.

Illustration for 老远 (from far away)

More examples

他老远赶来参加会议。tā láo yuǎn gǎn lái cān jiā huì yì

He hurried from far away to attend the meeting.

Core concept

Distance viewed from the destination outward, with the whole journey made to reach that destination.

Common phrases

  • 老远来看láo yuǎn lái kàn

    come from far away to visit

  • 老远赶来láo yuǎn gǎn lái

    hurry here from far away

Similar words

专程zhuān chéng: Making a trip especially for a particular purpose.
远道而来yuǎn dào ér lái: Coming after traveling a long way, with the effort of the journey emphasized.
从远方cóng yuǎn fāng: From a distant place, marking the remoteness of the starting point.

Definition in Chinese

表示从远方来到或朝某处移动，常带有特意或花费力气的含义，多用于口语作状语。biǎo shì cóng yuǎn fāng lái dào huò cháo mǒu chù yí dòng cháng dài yǒu tè yì huò huā fèi lì qì de hán yì duō yòng yú kóu yǔ zuò zhuàng yǔ

Word origin

In colloquial Chinese, 老远 (lǎoyuǎn, "from far away") combines the intensifying use of 老 (lǎo, "old") with 远 (yuǎn, "far"), so the distance feels notably great rather than merely measurable.

Usage tips

  • The position of 老远 (lǎoyuǎn, "from far away") before a motion verb helps mark the journey as a notable part of the event, not just background information about location.

Other meanings

  • all the wayadverb

Word lists with this word