养儿防老

養兒防老

yǎng'ér-fánglǎo

idiom

Meanings

1 to raise children for old age (so they can support you)
2 to bring up sons to provide for one's later years

Characters

to raise; to nurture

to guard against; to prevent

Examples

HSK 5

他不愿要孩子，根本不信什么养儿防老。

Tā bú yuàn yào háizi, gēnběn bú xìn shénme yǎng'ér-fánglǎo.

He doesn't want children - he simply doesn't buy the idea of having kids to support you in old age.

HSK 6

在没有养老保险的年代，养儿防老是一种现实选择。

Zài méiyǒu yǎnglǎo bǎoxiǎn de niándài, yǎng'ér-fánglǎo shì yì zhǒng xiànshí xuǎnzé.

In an era without pensions, raising children for one's old age was a practical choice.

HSK 7-9

老一辈人相信养儿防老，但现在情况不同了。

Lǎoyíbèi rén xiāngxìn yǎng'ér-fánglǎo, dàn xiànzài qíngkuàng bùtóng le.

The older generation believed in raising children for their old age, but things are different now.

Tips

history

From Chen Yuanjing's 《事林广记》 (Southern Song almanac): 养儿防老，积谷防饥 - 'raise sons against old age, store grain against famine'. The full couplet is still quoted today.

culture

Tied to 孝 (filial piety) and to systems where the state provided no pension. Often invoked - sometimes ironically - in modern debates about declining birthrates and elderly care.

Stroke Order

养 yǎng

儿 ér

防 fáng

老 lǎo