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老成 (lǎo chéng) — mature and steady (of a person's character); experienced and composed

Definition

An adjective for a person whose behavior, speech, or character seems unusually mature and steady for their age — implies composure beyond one's years.

adjective
mature and steady (of a person's character)experienced and composed

Examples

  • ，老成。
    Tā nián jì bú dà, dàn zuò shì hěn lǎo chéng.
    He's not old, but he handles things very maturely.
  • 老成，。
    Zhè hái zi shuō huà lǎo chéng, bú xiàng gè xiǎo hái.
    This child speaks with such maturity — doesn't sound like a kid.
  • ，老成。
    Tā suī rán nián qīng, dàn wèi rén lǎo chéng kě kào.
    Though she's young, she's mature and reliable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

老lǎoexperienced
成chéngmature

老 and 成 both point to maturity and steadiness, so the meaning is experienced and composed.

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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