老狗 (lǎo gǒu) — (derogatory) old bastard, old son of a bitch (i… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Strong, vulgar insult for an older man. Literally 'old dog', it carries contempt for both age and character, and is far harsher than a plain 老. Used only in heated speech.

noun

(derogatory) old bastardold son of a bitch (insult for an older man)

Examples

老狗。
Nà ge lǎo gǒu yòu zài piàn rén le.
That old bastard is lying again.
老狗，！
Nǐ zhè tiáo lǎo gǒu, bié zài lái fán wǒ!
You old son of a bitch, don't bother me again!
老狗。
Tā mà nà ge lǎo bǎn shì tiáo lǎo gǒu.
He cursed that boss as an old bastard.

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.

老狗 joins 老 'old' and 狗 'dog' to insult an older man.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

人人rénman
毛毛máohair
匕匕bǐcane

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

句

句jù狗gǒu

Same sound today

狗 combines 犬, meaning dog, with 句, which gives the sound.

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