老五

lǎowǔ
noun #22,242

Meanings

  1. 1 fifth child in a family
  2. 2 the fifth (in a sibling order)
  3. 3 bachelor (short for 王老五)

Examples

HSK 3
Tā zài jiā páiháng lǎowǔ, shàngmiàn yǒu sì gè gēgē jiějie.
He is the fifth child in the family, with four older siblings above him.
HSK 7-9
Cūnlǐ rén jiào tā Wáng Lǎowǔ, yīnwèi tā yīzhí méi qǔ dào xífu.
The villagers called him Wang Laowu because he never managed to find a wife.

Tips

culture
老五 is the informal way of addressing or referring to the fifth child in a family. 王老五 (literally 'Old Fifth Wang') is a stock phrase for an unmarried man or bachelor, often with a slightly pitying or humorous tone. The phrase entered popular usage from folk culture and literature.

Stroke Order

lǎo