Chinese word

衰老

Pronunciation

Pinyinshuāi lǎo

Meaning

  • verbgrow old

Example

父母都在慢慢衰老。fù mǔ dōu zài màn màn shuāi lǎo

Both parents are slowly growing old.

Illustration for 衰老 (grow old)

More examples

为了延缓衰老，他每周去健身房锻炼。wèi le yán huǎn shuāi lǎo tā měi zhōu qù jiàn shēn fáng duàn liàn

To slow aging, he exercises at the gym every week.

Core concept

A gradual slide from youthful strength toward old age, as the body and mind lose some of their functions.

Common phrases

  • 抗衰老kàng shuāi lǎo

    fight aging

  • 延缓衰老yán huǎn shuāi lǎo

    slow aging

  • 器官衰老qì guān shuāi lǎo

    aging of the organs

Similar words

变老biàn lǎo: Become older in age or appearance.
老化lǎo huà: Undergo age-related decline in the function of organs or tissues.
衰退shuāi tuì: Gradually become weaker in strength, force, or condition.
衰弱shuāi ruò: Become physically weaker as health and energy decline.

Definition in Chinese

年龄增长导致身体、精神等机能逐步下降的状态或过程，常用于描述生理上的老化。nián líng zēng zhǎng dǎo zhì shēn tǐ jīng shén děng jī néng zhú bù xià jiàng de zhuàng tài huò guò chéng cháng yòng yú miáo shù shēng lǐ shàng de lǎo huà

Word origin

衰 (shuāi, "decline") + 老 (lǎo, "old") form 衰老 (shuāilǎo, "to grow old"), joining loss of function to the process of becoming old.

Usage tips

  • In ordinary family conversation, this verb has a more formal, objective tone than a simple statement about getting older, so context matters when describing a relative.

Other meanings

  • agingnoun

Opposites

  • 返老还童fán lǎo huán tónggrow young againverb
  • 年轻化nián qīng huàmake youngerverb

Word lists with this word