TongTong
Sign in

老把戏 (lǎo bǎ xì) — old trick; old game (often implies a dishonest or outdated scheme)

Definition

Colloquial noun for an old, often tiresome trick or scheme that no longer fools anyone. Usually carries a negative tone — it suggests the tactic is stale, dishonest, or unimaginative.

noun
old trickold game (often implies a dishonest or outdated scheme)

Examples

  • 老把戏。
    Nǐ de lǎo bǎ xì zǎo jiù bèi rén kàn chuān le.
    Your old trick has been seen through long ago.
  • 老把戏，。
    Bié zài gōng sī lǐ shuǎ nǐ de lǎo bǎ xì le, méi rén huì shàng dàng.
    Don't pull your old tricks at the company; no one will fall for it.
  • 老把戏，。
    Tā yòng de hái shì nà yí tào lǎo bǎ xì, yì diǎn xīn yì dōu méi yǒu.
    He's still using the same old trick — not a trace of originality.

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
把戏trick
把bǎhold戏xìplay
动宾Verb + object

老 means old and 把戏 means trick; together they denote an old trick.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
巴
巴bā把bǎ
Same sound today

把 combines 扌, a hand, with 巴 for its sound.

Open 把 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gēhalberd
Sound part声符shēngfú
䖒
䖒䖒戲xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.

Open 戏 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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