王老五

wánglǎowǔ
noun

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 bachelor
  2. 2 single man (often older)

Examples

HSK 4
Tā dōu sìshí suì le, háishì ge Wáng Lǎowǔ.
He's already forty and still a bachelor.
HSK 7-9
Zuànshí Wáng Lǎowǔ shì yǒuqián de dānshēnhàn.
A 'diamond bachelor' is a wealthy single man.

Tips

culture
Literally 'Wang the Fifth Old One' - the trope name comes from a 1937 film 《老五》 about a poor old bachelor. The name then crystallized into a common label for never-married men.
usage
Often expanded to 钻石王老五 ('diamond bachelor') - a single, wealthy, eligible man, the Chinese counterpart of 'eligible bachelor'.

Stroke Order

wáng
lǎo