薑還是老的辣
简 姜还是老的辣 · 繁 薑還是老的辣Meanings
- ginger gets spicier as it gets older (idiom)
- the older, the wiser
Characters in this entry
- 薑
- Look up this written character
- 還
- hái · still, yet, also, besides
- 是
- shì · indeed, yes, right; to be; demonstrative pronoun, this, that
- 老
- lǎo · old, aged; experienced; Kangxi radical 125
- 的
- de · possessive, adjectival suffix
- 辣
- là · peppery, pungent, hot; cruel
- 姜
- jiāng · surname; ginger
- 还
- hái · still, yet, also, besides
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1–2–4–3–5–4 · jiang1 hai2 shi4 lao3 de5 la4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
薑還是老的辣 · find source passages ↗ · 姜还是老的辣 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
goeng1 waan4 si6 lou5 dik1 laat6
Cantonese word readings for 薑還是老的辣. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
proverb
- The older the person is, the more seasoned (wiser or more treacherous) they are.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack