Meaning Index
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "old", including 老 (lǎo), 古 (gǔ), 陈 (chén), 故 (gù), 积 (jī), 旧 (jiù). Study pinyin, English meanings…
The English word "old" covers 10 different Chinese characters — 老 (lǎo), 古 (gǔ), 陈 (chén), 故 (gù), 积 (jī), 旧 (jiù), 估 (gū / gù), 宿 (sù / xiǔ / xiù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 10 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lǎo, gǔ, chén, gù, jī, jiù, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 老 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
Anchor each of these 10 characters in a word you can picture — start with 老 (lǎo) — so "old" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 10 ways to say "old".
我的老师很有耐心。Wǒ de lǎo shī hěn yǒu nài xīn.My teacher is very patient.
Common words: 老师 (lǎo shī)、老人 (lǎo rén)、老是 (lǎo shi)
故宫是中国著名的古建筑。Gù gōng shì Zhōng guó zhù míng de gǔ jiàn zhù.The Forbidden City is a famous ancient building in China.
Common words: 古代 (gǔ dài)、古老 (gǔ lǎo)、古典 (gǔ diǎn)
博物馆里陈列着许多文物。Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe xǔ duō wén wù.Many cultural relics are displayed in the museum.
Common words: 陈述 (chén shù)、陈旧 (chén jiù)、新陈代谢 (xīn chén dài xiè)
奶奶给我讲了一个古老的故事。Nǎi nai gěi wǒ jiǎng le yí ge gǔ lǎo de gù shi.Grandma told me an old story.
Common words: 故事 (gù shì)、故意 (gù yì)、事故 (shì gù)
知识需要一点一点地积累。Zhī shi xū yào yì diǎn yì diǎn de jī lěi.Knowledge needs to be accumulated bit by bit.
Common words: 积极 (jī jí)、面积 (miàn jī)、积极性 (jī jí xìng)
这件旧衣服我已经穿了好几年。Zhè jiàn jiù yī fu wǒ yǐ jīng chuān le hǎo jǐ nián.I have worn this old piece of clothing for several years.
Common words: 依旧 (yī jiù)、仍旧 (réng jiù)、陈旧 (chén jiù)
我估计他很快就会回来。Wǒ gū jì tā hěn kuài jiù huì huí lái.I estimate that he will be back soon.
Common words: 估计 (gū jì)、评估 (píng gū)、低估 (dī gū)
这次旅行，我们在山里的客栈住宿了一晚。Zhè cì lǚ xíng, wǒ men zài shān lǐ de kè zhàn zhù sù le yì wǎn.On this trip, we stayed overnight at an inn in the mountains.
Common words: 宿舍 (sù shè)、住宿 (zhù sù)、归宿 (guī sù)
Open 老、古、陈 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.