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老练 (lǎo liàn) — seasoned and experienced (in handling people or affairs)

Definition

Describes someone seasoned and skillful at handling people or tricky situations, often through long experience. Stronger and more worldly than 熟练 (skilled at a task); more about social/professional savvy than technical skill.

adjective
seasoned and experienced (in handling people or affairs)

Examples

  • 老练。
    Tā chǔ lǐ zhè zhǒng jiū fēn fēi cháng lǎo liàn.
    He is very experienced in handling this kind of dispute.
  • ，老练。
    Bié kàn tā nián qīng, zuò shì bǐ lǎo yuán gōng hái lǎo liàn.
    Don't judge him by his age — he works more shrewdly than senior employees.
  • 老练。
    Yí wèi lǎo liàn de wài jiāo guān xùn sù huà jiě le huì yì shàng de chōng tū.
    A seasoned diplomat quickly resolved the conflict at the meeting.

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
练liànpracticed

老 'experienced' and 练 'practiced' work together to mean seasoned.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 練; 练 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
柬
柬jiǎn練liàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 練 has 糸, silk, and 柬, which gives the sound. The simplified 练 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not historical.

Open 练 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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