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老糊涂 (lǎo hú tu) — a senile old person, dotard

Definition

An informal, mildly dismissive label for an old person whose mind has slipped. Usually said of others, sometimes self-deprecatingly (as in example 3).

noun
a senile old persondotard

Examples

  • 老糊涂。
    Nà ge lǎo hú tu yòu zài shuō hú huà le.
    That old dotard is talking nonsense again.
  • 老糊涂。
    Bié gēn lǎo hú tu yì bān jiàn shi.
    Don't stoop to the level of a senile old person.
  • 老糊涂，。
    Tā zǒng shuō zì jǐ shì gè lǎo hú tu, qí shí nǎo zi qīng chǔ dé hěn.
    He always calls himself a dotard, but actually his mind is very clear.

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
糊涂confused
糊hú涂tú

The part meaning old combines with 糊涂 to describe a senile person.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
胡
胡hú糊hú
Same sound today

糊 pairs 米 (rice) with 胡 (hú), which gives the sound. The 米 part relates to the meaning.

Open 糊 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú涂tú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

涂 has 氵 on the left, a form of 水 meaning water, and 余 on the right for the sound.

Open 涂 →
Appears in
Mental HealthLife Stages & Age

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