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衰老 (shuāi lǎo) — old and feeble; senile; decrepit

Definition

Adjective for a person (or body) growing old and losing strength. Pairs with 衰弱 (weak/frail), which describes physical weakness without the aging process.

adjective
old and feebleseniledecrepit

Examples

  • 衰老。
    Tā de shēn tǐ yuè lái yuè shuāi lǎo le.
    His body is getting more and more decrepit.
  • 衰老。
    Zhè wèi lǎo rén kàn qǐ lái hěn shuāi lǎo.
    This old person looks very frail.
  • 衰老。
    Cháng qī yā lì huì jiā sù shuāi lǎo.
    Long-term stress can accelerate aging.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

衰shuāidecline
老lǎoold

“衰” and “老” together convey decline and advanced age, giving a sense of being old and weak.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old form of 衰 pictures a palm-fiber raincoat, a garment later written with another character.

Open 衰 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Life Stages & Age

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