1 prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity
1 one man can hold the pass against ten thousand enemies (idiom)
一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥
yī lì lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu
1 lit. a piece of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of congee (idiom)
2 fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch
一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤
yī kē lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō tāng
1 lit. a piece of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of soup (idiom)
2 fig. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch
上有老下有小
shàng yǒu lǎo xià yǒu xiǎo
1 lit. above are the elderly, below are the young (idiom)
2 fig. to have to take care of both one's aging parents and one's children
3 sandwich generation
不听老人言，吃亏在眼前
bù tīng lǎo rén yán , chī kuī zài yǎn qián
1 (idiom) ignore your elders at your peril
只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针
zhǐ yào gōng fu shēn , tiě chǔ mó chéng zhēn
1 If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.
2 cf idiom 磨杵成針|磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task
3 to study diligently
国家兴亡，匹夫有责
guó jiā xīng wáng , pǐ fū yǒu zé
1 The rise and fall of the nation concerns everyone (idiom). Everyone bears responsibility for the prosperity of society.
天下兴亡，匹夫有责
tiān xià xīng wáng , pǐ fū yǒu zé
1 The rise and fall of the nation concerns everyone (idiom). Everyone bears responsibility for the prosperity of society.
天荒地老
tiān huāng dì lǎo
1 until the end of time (idiom)
夫妻反目
fū qī fǎn mù
1 man and wife fall out (idiom, from Book of Changes); marital strife
宝刀不老
bǎo dāo bù lǎo
1 lit. a good sword always remains sharp (idiom)
2 fig. (of one's skills etc) to be as good as ever
3 the old man still has it
宝刀未老
bǎo dāo wèi lǎo
1 treasure knife does not age (idiom); old but still vigorous
年老力衰
nián lǎo lì shuāi
1 old and weak (idiom)
年老体弱
nián lǎo tǐ ruò
1 old and weak (idiom)
敬老尊贤
jìng lǎo zūn xián
1 to respect the wise and venerate the worthy (idiom); to honor the great and the good
民贼独夫
mín zéi dú fū
1 tyrant and oppressor of the people (idiom); traitorous dictator
活到老，学到老
huó dào lǎo , xué dào lǎo
1 One is never too old to learn. (idiom)
无毒不丈夫
wú dú bù zhàng fu
1 no poison, no great man (idiom); A great man has to be ruthless.
无颜见江东父老
wú yán jiàn Jiāng dōng fù lǎo
1 (idiom) to be unable to return to one's hometown due to the shame of failure (originally referred to Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiàng Yǔ], who chose not to retreat to Jiangdong after his humiliating defeat)
狗逮老鼠
gǒu dǎi lǎo shǔ
1 lit. a dog who catches mice (idiom)
2 fig. to be meddlesome
Sample Sentences
老夫妻之间，有别的称呼。
lǎo fūqī zhījiān ，yǒu bié de chēnghu 。
Between older couples, there are different pet-names.