📖 Meaning
A phrase referring to people of all ages and genders, encompassing everyone. It conveys the idea of an entire community or population without exception.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Hong Shen's early 20th-century spoken drama "Wukui Bridge" (《五奎桥》), written during the Republic of China period. In the play, a character pleads for sympathy by invoking the dozens of families—men, women, old, and young—whose lives depend on the bridge being saved. The expression became a common way to denote an entire population of ordinary people.
💡 Example Usage
地震发生后，镇上的男女老小都跑到广场上避险。
After the earthquake struck, people of all ages and genders in the town fled to the square to take shelter.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 男女老小
- Pinyin: nán nǚ lǎo xiǎo
- Literal Translation: men, women, old, young
- Category: Variety
- Characters: 4