老到 (lǎo dào) — experienced and adept; reliable and mature (of…

Definition

老到 (lǎodào) praises a person's skill or character as seasoned and trustworthy through long experience — note it's one written word, not 老 + 到.

adjective

experienced and adeptreliable and mature (of a person's skill or character)

Easily confused

老到，。
Tā zuò shì hěn lǎo dào, zhí dé xìn lài.
He is very experienced in handling things and trustworthy.
，老到。
Zhè wèi lǎo shī jiāo shū duō nián, fēi cháng lǎo dào.
This teacher has taught for many years and is very seasoned.
，老到，。
Tā suī rán nián qīng, dàn wèi rén lǎo dào, ràng rén fàng xīn.
Although she is young, she is mature and reliable, which puts people at ease.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

到dàothorough

Both 老 and 到 point to being mature and thorough, so the word describes experienced reliability.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

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

至至zhìto arrive

Sound part声符shēngfú

刀

Same sound today

到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.