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老本 (lǎo běn) — business capital (initial investment in a venture); old edition (of a book, often rare or valuable); past reputation or glory (that one lives off)

Definition

老本 refers to one's original capital, old stock, or past achievements — things you can fall back on or 'live off.' As in 吃老本 (live off past glory), it often implies relying on past gains instead of growing.

noun
business capital (initial investment in a venture)old edition (of a book, often rare or valuable)past reputation or glory (that one lives off)

Examples

  • 老本。
    Tā zuò shēng yi de lǎo běn dōu péi guāng le.
    He lost all his business capital.
  • 老本，。
    Zhè běn lǎo běn hěn zhēn guì, shì qīng cháo chū bǎn de.
    This old edition is very precious, published in the Qing dynasty.
  • ，。
    Bú yào zǒng shì chī lǎo běn, yào bú duàn xué xí xīn jì shù.
    Don't always rely on your past glory; you need to keep learning new skills.

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/original
本běncapital/edition

The part meaning old or original combines with 本 for capital or edition.

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 →

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

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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