old; aged; long-standing; not new; always; frequently; very; too (informal)
老 means old — for people, for long-standing friends and places, and in 老是, meaning always.
GF0025–2021 character list · 一级WHOLE GLYPH & STRUCTURE
ZDIC describes 老 as a pictograph; the split below is a modern visual memory aid, not a historical claim.
WHOLE CHARACTER
old; aged; long-standing; not new; always; frequently; very; too (informal)
老 means old — for people, for long-standing friends and places, and in 老是, meaning always.
ZDIC describes 老 as a pictograph; the split below is a modern visual memory aid, not a historical claim.
OLD-FORM VISUAL TOP
Notice this part of the shape; it is not taught as a separate word in this lesson.
In 老: old-form visual top Shortened old-form top, shared with 考.
LOWER VISUAL PIECE
spoon; dagger
ZDIC describes 比 as two person-like pieces side by side; no modern semantic addition is claimed.
In 老: lower visual piece A lower stroke cluster; the standalone meaning of 匕 is not claimed here.
Checking for a Mandarin voice…