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老字号 (lǎo zì hao) — long-established store, firm, or brand with a good reputation

Definition

老字号 is a shop or brand with a long history and good reputation — not just any 店 or 商店, but one valued for tradition and trust. Often used for food and craft businesses handed down over generations.

noun
long-established storefirmor brand with a good reputation
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 老字号。
    Zhè jiā lǎo zì hao yǐ jīng jīng yíng le yì bǎi duō nián.
    This long-established store has been operating for over a hundred years.
  • 老字号，。
    Měi gè chéng shì dōu yǒu zì jǐ de lǎo zì hao, chuán chéng zhe chuán tǒng shǒu yì.
    Every city has its own long-established stores that carry on traditional crafts.
  • ，老字号。
    Lǚ yóu shí, wǒ tè yì qù le yì jiā yǒu míng de lǎo zì hao pǐn cháng diǎn xin.
    While traveling, I purposely went to a famous long-established store to taste its pastries.

Origin

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.

老lǎoold
字号shop name
字zìsign号hàoname
联合Coordinate

老 means long-established, and 字号 names a shop or brand.

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 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
子
子zǐ字zì
Same sound today

字 pairs 宀 (roof) with 子 (child); 子 gives the sound, while 宀 relates to the meaning.

Open 字 →

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

  • 口口kǒumouth
  • 丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.