老气横秋 (lǎo qì héng qiū) — (derogatory) lacking youthful vigor; acting old beyond one's years; (derogatory) presuming on the prerogatives of age; being overly self-important

Definition

An idiom (derogatory) for someone who acts stuffy, pompous, or aged beyond their years — often scolding a young person who behaves like an elder. The 横秋 emphasizes the 'bristling, overbearing' tone, not just being old.

idiom
(derogatory) lacking youthful vigoracting old beyond one's years(derogatory) presuming on the prerogatives of agebeing overly self-important

Examples

  • ，老气横秋。
    Tā cái èr shí suì, què zǒng shì yí fù lǎo qì héng qiū de yàng zi.
    He's only twenty, but he always looks old beyond his years.
  • ，老气横秋。
    Nián qīng rén yīng gāi huó pō yì diǎn, bú yào lǎo qì héng qiū.
    Young people should be lively, not act old and stuffy.
  • 老气横秋，。
    Tā shuō huà de yǔ qì lǎo qì héng qiū, ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
    His tone of voice is presumptuous and old-fashioned, making people uncomfortable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

老气old spirit
老lǎoold气qìspirit
偏正Modifier + head
横秋fills autumn
横héngfill/extend秋qiūautumn
动宾Verb + object

老气横秋 pictures 老气 'old spirit' filling 秋 'autumn', so it seems without youthful vigor.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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 橫; 横 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
黃
黃huáng橫héng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 橫 has 木, meaning wood, beside 黃, which supplies the sound; the simplified 横 is a later abbreviation.

Open 横 →

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
禾禾hégrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤒅
𤒅𤒅秋qiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 秋 pairs 禾 (grain) with 𤒅, which gives the sound.

Open 秋 →

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