p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Translate Flashcards Sign in

耋

dié
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 aged; very old
  2. 2 in one's eighties

Examples

满堂都是耄耋老人。
Mǎn táng dōu shì màodié lǎorén.
The hall was filled with venerable elders in their eighties and nineties.
他虽已耋年，仍耳聪目明。
Tā suī yǐ dié nián, réng ěrcōng mùmíng.
Though of great age, he was still hale and clear of mind.

Tips

usage
耋 is literary and bound, appearing in 耄耋 (耄耋, 'advanced old age', traditionally one's eighties and nineties). It is a respectful, written term for the very elderly.

Components

radical
老 lǎo
old; aged
老 (old, a bent figure with long hair and a cane) sits on top and is the indexing radical. It directly supplies the core meaning: great old age.
phonetic
至 zhì
to reach; phonetic
至 supplies the sound (zhì shifting to dié). Its sense 'to reach / arrive at' also faintly suits the idea of having reached a great age.

Stroke Order

耋 dié