老古董 (lǎo gǔ dǒng) — (noun) antique, old-fashioned object; (noun, de…

Definition

Literally 'old antique,' 老古董 refers to both a genuinely old object AND, used as a mild insult, a person whose ideas are stuck in the past.

noun

antiqueold-fashioned object(noun, derogatory) old fogy, a person who is stubbornly old-fashioned

Measure word · 个

老古董，。
Zhè jiā diàn lǐ yǒu hěn duō lǎo gǔ dǒng, dōu shì qīng cháo de.
This shop has many antiques, all from the Qing dynasty.
老古董，。
Yé ye shì gè lǎo gǔ dǒng, bù xǐ huan yòng diàn nǎo.
Grandpa is an old fogy; he doesn't like using computers.
老古董，。
Nǐ kàn nà ge lǎo gǔ dǒng, hái zài yòng fān gài shǒu jī.
Look at that old fogy, still using a flip phone.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

古董antique

联合Coordinate

老 old describes 古董, so the word means an old antique or an old-fashioned person.

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.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

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

艸艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

重

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

董 is made of 艸 (grass) and 重, which is used for the sound.

Appears in