老了

Chinese

		old; aged; venerable old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)	to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker)
trad. (老了)		老	了
simp. #(老了)		老	了

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): lǎo le

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ˙ㄌㄜ

• Northern Min (KCR): sē-lò̤

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: lǎo le
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ˙ㄌㄜ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lǎo le̊
    • Wade–Giles: lao³ lê⁵
    • Yale: lǎu le
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: lao .le
    • Palladius: лао лэ (lao lɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴ lə⁴/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sē-lò̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /se⁵⁵ lɔ⁴²/

Verb

老了

1. to get old
2. to overdo
3. (euphemistic, of the elderly) to pass away; to pass on

   • 「…祥林嫂？怎麽了？」我又趕緊的問。
     「老了。」 [MSC, trad.]
     「…祥林嫂？怎么了？」我又赶紧的问。
     「老了。」 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1924 February 7, Lu Xun, 《祝福》

     “... Xiánglín sǎo? Zěnme le?” Wǒ yòu gǎnjǐn de wèn.
     “lǎo le.” [Pinyin]

     "Sister Xianglin? What happened to her?" I quickly asked.
     "She passed away."

Synonyms

• (to pass away):

• 下世 (xiàshì) (formal)
• 上天 (shàngtiān) (euphemistic)
• 上路 (shànglù) (euphemistic)
• 不在 (bùzài) (euphemistic)
• 不幸 (bùxìng) (Classical Chinese, euphemistic)
• 不祿／不禄 (bùlù) (archaic, euphemistic, of military officers)
• 亡
• 亡故 (wánggù) (literary)
• 仙逝 (xiānshì) (euphemistic)
• 仙遊／仙游 (xiānyóu) (euphemistic)
• 作古 (zuògǔ) (literary, euphemistic)
• 做鬼 (zuòguǐ) (colloquial)
• 傾世／倾世 (qīngshì) (literary)
• 傾亡／倾亡 (qīngwáng) (literary)
• 入寂 (rùjì) (Buddhism, of Buddhist monks)
• 凋謝／凋谢 (diāoxiè) (to die of old age)
• 化去 (huàqù) (euphemistic)
• 升天 (shēngtiān) (euphemistic)
• 即世 (jíshì) (literary)
• 去世 (qùshì)
• 合眼 (héyǎn) (euphemistic)
• 喪亡／丧亡 (sàngwáng) (literary)
• 喪命／丧命 (sàngmìng) (euphemistic)
• 喪生／丧生 (sàngshēng) (euphemistic)
• 嗚呼／呜呼 (wūhū) (euphemistic)
• 嗝屁 (gěpì) (Mandarin, vulgar, derogatory)
• 嚥氣／咽气 (yànqì) (colloquial)
• 回老家 (huí lǎojiā) (euphemistic, humorous)
• 圓寂／圆寂 (yuánjì) (of Buddhist monks or nuns)
• 壽終正寢／寿终正寝 (shòuzhōngzhèngqǐn) (euphemistic)
• 失氣／失气 (shīqì) (literary)
• 安息 (ānxī) (euphemistic)
• 安眠 (ānmián) (euphemistic)
• 小喇叭兒吹了／小喇叭儿吹了 (xiǎo lǎbār chuī le) (Beijing Mandarin)
• 就義／就义 (jiùyì) (to die a martyr)
• 崩 (bēng) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 崩殂 (bēngcú) (Classical, of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 彈老三／弹老三 (Northern Wu, informal, humorous)
• 往生 (wǎngshēng) (euphemistic)
• 忽然 (hūrán) (Classical Chinese, euphemistic)
• 掛／挂 (guà) (slang, humorous)
• 故 (gù)
• 故世 (gùshì) (euphemistic, chiefly of one's elders)
• 故去 (gùqù) (euphemistic, chiefly of one's elders)
• 斃命／毙命 (bìmìng) (pejorative)
• 早死 (zǎosǐ)
• 晏駕／晏驾 (yànjià) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 枯死 (kūsǐ) (literary, figurative)
• 棄世／弃世 (qìshì) (literary)
• 歸天／归天 (guītiān) (euphemistic)
• 歸西／归西 (guīxī) (euphemistic)
• 歸道山／归道山 (guī dàoshān) (literary, euphemistic)
• 死 (sǐ)
• 死亡 (sǐwáng) (formal)
• 死人 (sǐrén)
• 死去 (sǐqù) (informal)
• 死掉 (sǐdiào) (informal)
• 死翹翹／死翘翘 (sǐqiàoqiào) (informal, humorous)
• 死脫／死脱 (⁵shi-theq) (Wu)
• 殞／殒 (yǔn) (archaic)
• 氣絕／气绝 (qìjué) (literary)
• 永眠 (yǒngmián) (euphemistic, honorific)
• 沒世／没世 (mòshì) (literary)
• 沉眠 (chénmián) (euphemistic)
• 消忒 (Hakka, euphemistic)
• 物化 (wùhuà) (literary)
• 畢命／毕命 (bìmìng) (formal, euphemistic)
• 病亡 (bìngwáng) (to die of illness)
• 病故 (bìnggù) (to die of illness)
• 病死 (bìngsǐ) (to die of illness)
• 病逝 (bìngshì) (to die of illness)
• 百年歸老／百年归老 (bǎiniánguīlǎo) (euphemistic, of the elderly)
• 盡命／尽命 (jìnmìng) (literary, euphemistic)
• 終／终 (zhōng) (literary, or in compounds, euphemistic)
• 絕／绝 (jué) (literary, or in compounds)
• 翹辮子／翘辫子 (qiào biànzi) (informal, humorous)
• 蒙主寵召／蒙主宠召 (méngzhǔchǒngzhào) (euphemistic)
• 薨 (hōng) (Classical Chinese, of feudal lords or high officials)
• 薨逝 (hōngshì) (of feudal lords)
• 被難／被难 (bèinàn) (to be killed in a disaster, political incident, etc.)
• 見背／见背 (jiànbèi) (literary, of one's parents or elders)
• 見閻王／见阎王 (jiàn Yánwáng) (figurative)
• 賓天／宾天 (bīntiān) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 走 (zǒu) (euphemistic)
• 走去踮 (Hokkien, euphemistic)
• 身亡 (shēnwáng) (formal, usually from unnatural causes)
• 辭世／辞世 (císhì) (literary)
• 逝世 (shìshì)
• 進棺材／进棺材 (jìn guāncái)
• 過世／过世 (guòshì)
• 過去／过去 (guòqù) (euphemistic)
• 過往／过往 (Hokkien, euphemistic, Teochew, euphemistic)
• 過身／过身 (guòshēn) (literary)
• 過面／过面 (Hokkien)
• 長山賣鴨卵／长山卖鸭卵 (Hakka, euphemistic)
• 長眠／长眠 (chángmián) (euphemistic, honorific)
• 閉眼／闭眼 (bìyǎn) (euphemistic)
• 隕落／陨落 (yǔnluò) (euphemistic)
• 離世／离世 (líshì) (euphemistic)
• 駕崩／驾崩 (jiàbēng) (of a king, emperor, monarch, etc.)
• 駕鶴西去／驾鹤西去 (jiàhèxīqù) (euphemistic)
• 駕鶴西遊／驾鹤西游 (jiàhèxīyóu) (euphemistic)
• 龍馭上賓／龙驭上宾 (lóngyùshàngbīn) (of an emperor)