How to say “ancient” in Chinese
ancient, age-old
“Ancient” in Chinese is 古老, gǔ lǎo: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
古老 is read gǔ lǎo: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
Two third tones in a row: the first one is said as a second tone, but it is still written as a third.
How to write it
On top, 十; at the bottom, 口. It hints at the sound of 估 gū, 姑 gū and 苦 kǔ.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “古老”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 古老. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 这是一个古老的传说zhèshìyígegǔlǎodechuánshuōThis is an age-old legend.
- 这座古老的建筑是哪个朝代建的？zhèzuògǔlǎodejiànzhùshìnǎgecháodàijiàndeWhich dynasty was this ancient building built in?
- 这是中国现存最古老的塔。zhèshìZhōngguóxiàncúnzuìgǔlǎodetǎThis is the oldest surviving pagoda in China.
- 这个风俗源于一个古老的传说zhègefēngsúyuányúyígegǔlǎodechuánshuōThis custom comes from an ancient legend.
More words from the lesson “The distant past”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “ancient” in Chinese?
“Ancient” in Chinese is 古老, pinyin gǔlǎo.
What does 古老 mean?
古老 (gǔlǎo) means “ancient, age-old”.
How do you write 古老?
古老 is 2 characters: 古 (gǔ) — ancient; 老 (lǎo) — old, respected. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 古老?
古老 is read gǔlǎo. Tones: gǔ — third tone, lǎo — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“ancient” in the lesson “The distant past”
This word is from the topic “China: the country and its history” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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