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老牌 (lǎo pái) — old/established brand; (figurative) veteran actor; seasoned professional

Definition

As a noun used attributively, 老牌 means 'old, established' — highlighting long-standing reputation (brand, company) or seasoned expertise (actor, professional). Pairs with nouns to convey credibility through seniority.

noun
old/established brand(figurative) veteran actorseasoned professional
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 老牌。
    lǎo pái Hěn shòu xiāo fèi zhě huān yíng.
    This old brand is very popular with consumers.
  • 老牌，。
    Tā shì yí wèi lǎo pái yǎn yuán, yǎn guò hěn duō jīng diǎn jué sè.
    He is a veteran actor who has played many classic roles.
  • 老牌。
    Zhè jiā lǎo pái gōng sī yǐ jīng jīng yíng le wǔ shí nián.
    This well-established company has been running for fifty years.

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
牌páibrand

老 (old) describes 牌 (brand), giving an established, long-standing 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
片片piàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
卑
卑bēi牌pái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

牌 puts 片, a flat piece, beside 卑, which gives the sound.

Open 牌 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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