年长者 (nián zhǎng zhě) — elder, older person (formal, respectful)

Definition

A formal, respectful term for 'elder / older person' (literally 'one of greater age'). Used in written or official contexts like community services, signs, and announcements — more respectful than 老人, more formal than 老年人.

noun
elderolder person (formal, respectful)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 年长者。
    Zhè ge shè qū zhuān mén wèi nián zhǎng zhě tí gōng le miǎn fèi tǐ jiǎn.
    This community provides free health check-ups specifically for elders.
  • 年长者，。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi zūn zhòng nián zhǎng zhě, xiàng tā men xué xí jīng yàn.
    We should respect elders and learn from their experience.
  • 年长者。
    Gōng gòng qì chē shàng shè yǒu nián zhǎng zhě zhuān zuò.
    There are priority seats for the elderly on the bus.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

年长older in age
年niánage长chángolder
主谓Subject + predicate
者zhěperson

年长 means older in age, and 者 points to a person with that quality.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾héwheat; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén年nián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Open 年 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Open 者 →

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