📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who is elderly and physically frail, with unsteady and sluggish movements. The term '龙钟' (lóng zhōng) refers to a staggering, unsteady gait associated with old age. It is used to depict the declining vitality and mobility of an aged person.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet Li Duan (李端) titled 'To Xie Dai' (《赠谢戴》), in which he wrote: 'I associate more and more with my contemporaries, yet I stagger about like an old man.' The expression '龙钟' (lóng zhōng) describes an unsteady, tottering manner of walking. Over time, '老态龙钟' came to be used as a four-character idiom to describe the physical decline and feeble movements characteristic of old age.
💡 Example Usage
那位老态龙钟的老人拄着拐杖，缓缓地走过马路。
The old man, frail and unsteady with age, leaned on his cane and slowly made his way across the street.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 老态龙钟
- Pinyin: lǎo tài lóng zhōng
- Literal Translation: old, appearance, dragon, unsteady
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4