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老化 (lǎo huà) — to age (of people, populations, or materials); to become outdated (of knowledge, technology, etc.)

Definition

Means 'to age' — for people/populations and for materials wearing down under use, and (metaphorically) for knowledge/tech becoming outdated. Pairs naturally with 落后, which describes falling behind, while 老化 is the process of wearing out.

verb
to age (of people, populations, or materials)to become outdated (of knowledge, technology, etc.)

Examples

  • 老化。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de rén kǒu zhèng zài lǎo huà.
    The population of this country is aging.
  • 老化。
    Tā de zhī shi yǐ jīng lǎo huà le.
    His knowledge has become outdated.
  • 老化。
    Zhè zhǒng cái liào zài yáng guāng xià róng yì lǎo huà.
    This material ages easily under sunlight.

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.

老lǎoold
化huàbecome

老 means old and 化 gives the sense of becoming, so it describes aging or becoming outdated.

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.

Open 老 →

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Change & Process

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