养老 meaning in English
to provide for the elderly (family members); to enjoy a life in retirement
Meaning of 养老
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to provide for the elderly (family members)
- to enjoy a life in retirement
How to use 养老
养老 is common in talk about retirement, pensions, and elder care, and it often appears in compounds like 养老金 (yǎnglǎojīn, pension) and 养老院 (yǎnglǎoyuàn, nursing home). It can also mean simply living a quiet retired life. Example: 他打算回老家养老。(Tā dǎsuàn huí lǎojiā yǎnglǎo.) He plans to go back to his hometown to spend his retirement.
养 (yǎng) means to raise or support, and 老 (lǎo) means old. Put them together and you get supporting the old, whether that means caring for aging parents or taking care of yourself in old age.
Common mistake: Both syllables are third tone, so in speech 养 changes to a rising tone: say yáng lǎo, not yǎng lǎo with two dips. Also do not confuse 养老 with 老年 (lǎonián), which names the stage of old age rather than the act of supporting it.
养老 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
养 yǎng · to raise · 9 strokes
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老 lǎo · prefix used before the surname of a per… · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 养老.
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly |
| 老朋友 | lǎo péngyou | old friend; (slang) period |
| 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 老年 | lǎonián | elderly; old age |
| 老王 | Lǎo Wáng | |
| 老板 | lǎobǎn | boss; proprietor |
| 老太太 | lǎotàitai | elderly lady (respectful); esteemed mother |
| 营养 | yíngyǎng | nutrition; nourishment |
| 老百姓 | lǎobǎixìng | ordinary people; the "person in the street" |
| 老头儿 | lǎotóur | see 老頭子|老头子[lao3 tou2 zi5] |
| 老婆 | lǎopo | (coll.) wife |
Questions about 养老
What does 养老 mean?
养老 (yǎnglǎo) means "to provide for the elderly (family members); to enjoy a life in retirement".
How do you write 养老?
养老 is made of 2 characters: 养 (9 strokes), 老 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 养老 an HSK word?
Yes. 养老 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 养老 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 养老 is written 養老.
What is the difference between 养老 and 退休?
退休 (tuìxiū) is the act of retiring from work. 养老 focuses on being supported or living out your later years, so you can 退休 and then go somewhere to 养老.
Is 养老 used jokingly by young people?
Yes. Young people sometimes say a quiet, relaxed job or town is good for 养老, meaning it feels like early retirement. The tone is light and a bit self-mocking.