📖 Meaning
This idiom refers to elderly people of great longevity. '黄发' (yellow hair) describes the yellowish-white hair of extreme old age, while '骀背' (hunched back) describes the rounded back characteristic of the elderly. It is a variant of the idiom '黄发台背'.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom draws from classical Chinese literary conventions for describing the elderly. '黄发' appears in ancient texts such as the Book of Odes (诗经), where yellow-white hair symbolizes a person of advanced age. '骀背' refers to the hunched, rounded back of the elderly, evoking the image of a tortoise shell (台/骀 shares associations with longevity symbols). Together the phrase paints a vivid portrait of venerable old age. It is essentially interchangeable with the variant '黄发台背', both expressing the concept of long-lived seniors.
💡 Example Usage
村中黄发骀背者，皆享太平之福。
The yellow-haired, hunched-back elders in the village all enjoyed the blessings of peace.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 黄发骀背
- Pinyin: huáng fā dài bèi
- Literal Translation: yellow hair, hunched back
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4